Trump ignites a constitutional showdown by declaring all Biden-era autopen-signed directives invalid, claiming most were approved without Biden’s personal authorization. He accuses staff of illegally exercising presidential power and suggests potential perjury, despite having used the autopen himself. Biden allies dismiss the allegations as baseless, and legal experts say autopen use has never voided an order. With courts expected to intervene, Washington braces for another fierce battle over executive authority and presidential legitimacy.
00:00President Donald Trump has ignited a new legal and political showdown, announcing on Friday
00:25that he is terminating any executive order, memorandum, or federal directive signed by President Joe Biden using the auto pen.
00:35The declaration came in a fiery Truth Social post, where Trump claimed, without offering evidence,
00:42that 92 percent of Biden's official actions were executed by mechanical signature rather than personal approval.
00:51Trump alleged that Biden was not involved in the auto pen process, accusing unnamed staffers of acting illegally and effectively usurping presidential power.
01:03He wrote, quote, any document signed by sleepy Joe Biden with the auto pen is hereby terminated and of no further force or effect.
01:13The president went further, warning that if Biden claims he personally approved the signatures, he could face perjury charges.
01:23An auto pen is a long used mechanical device that replicates a person's handwritten signature.
01:29Presidents from George W. Bush to Barack Obama have relied on it for routine approvals.
01:35And a 2005 Justice Department opinion makes clear the president does not need to physically sign a bill or directive himself as long as he authorizes its use.
01:48Trump himself used the auto pen during his first term.
01:52But the core of Trump's allegation is that Biden never approved the signatures.
01:57In accusation, Biden allies disnest as baseless and politically motivated.
02:04Legal experts say Trump's sweeping action would face immediate constitutional challenges.
02:10Noting that while presidents can reverse a predecessor's policies prospectively,
02:16they cannot retroactively void them based solely on disputes over the signing method.
02:22Some scholars also point out that there is no history of court striking down presidential orders because of auto pen use alone.
02:30In Biden's pardons, another target of Trump's claims are not considered void.
02:36According to experts, without clear evidence, the president himself did not authorize them.
02:42The legal implications remain uncertain.
02:45But the political message is unmistakable.
02:48President Trump is once again rewriting the boundaries of executive power,
02:54setting the stage for yet another bitter battle in Washington.
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