Fact Check: Did Donald Trump sign January 6 pardons using autopen?

WASHINGTON, DC: Speculations are rife online over whether President Donald Trump used an autopen to sign the pardons issued on January 20, 2025, to over 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol riot. 

The controversy erupted after images from the Federal Register showed a graphic signature, not a handwritten one, sparking accusations of hypocrisy. 

This comes after Trump previously declared that former president Joe Biden's pardons for the Jan 6 committee were "void", claiming they were signed using an autopen.

Claim: Donald Trump signed January 6 pardons using autopen

A rumor spread online on Monday, March 17, claiming President Donald Trump used an autopen to sign pardons on January 20, his first day in office after returning to the White House, granting clemency to over 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol after images of the documents circulated.

A post from an X user with the handle @dittiePE read, "Sorry J6ers. All of your 1000+ pardons were done with autopen," accompanied by a laughing emoji.

The post accompanied by the image pointed out that the Federal Register had published 177 documents for Trump, all featuring a reproduction of his signature. At the time of writing, the post had garnered over 3.4 million views, 1.5K comments, 6.3K reposts, and 32K likes. 

Social media users quickly seized upon these images, accusing Trump of hypocrisy for declaring Biden's pardons "void, vacant, and of no further effect" while seemingly using an autopen himself. 

But the documents in question are copies published by the Federal Register, which archives presidential documents using a graphic reproduction of the president's signature, not the original signatures.

Footage of Donald Trump signing executive orders debunks rumors

As the investigation into whether Donald Trump used an autopen for the January 6 pardons continues, evidence has emerged, including footage of him signing orders on January 20, 2025. 

According to Newsweek, the pardons, which granted clemency to over 1,500 individuals involved in the Capitol riot—including some who clashed violently with law enforcement—were signed by Trump by Executive Order on that day. Additionally, there is footage of Trump signing 26 Executive Orders.

Staff at the National Archives told fact-checking site Snopes that at the start of each administration, the White House provides a sample signature to the Office of the Federal Register.

Their statement read, "At the beginning of each administration, the White House sends a sample of the President's signature to the Office of the Federal Register, which uses it to create the graphic image for all Presidential Documents published in the Federal Register."

It is worth noting that even if an autopen was used to sign the pardons, it would not affect their legality. The Department of Justice (DOJ) stated in 2005 that the president does not need to physically sign a bill for it to become law. 

The DOJ's statement read, "The President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law."

Trump has also stated that he uses an autopen for "insignificant documents" like letters.