Trump calls Biden's autopen use a ‘disgrace’ while giving Lara a White House tour

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump renewed his attack on former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen, calling it “a disgrace” during a conversation with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and pointing to a display with portraits of past US presidents.

As he toured the Presidential Walk of Fame exhibit, Trump pointed to an image of Biden and brought up the controversy that has become one of his favorite lines of attack against his predecessor.

Trump's latest swipe at Biden

The remarks are the latest chapter in Trump's ongoing campaign against Biden's use of the mechanical signature device, which allows a person's signature to be reproduced automatically on official documents.

"This one is Sleepy Joe Biden, and that's the autopen," Trump said. "He signed almost everything with an autopen. He didn't sign it himself because he wasn't capable enough to do it, and it's a disgrace that that could happen to our country."

The Republican leader has repeatedly argued that the issue is not merely about signatures but about who was actually making decisions inside the White House.

In recent months, he has gone further, suggesting Biden's aides exercised outsized influence over key decisions and even calling for investigations into the administration's use of the autopen.

Trump has claimed the device became a symbol of what he views as broader questions surrounding Biden's leadership and decision-making during his presidency.

He has also used this issue to highlight the difference in his own governing style. Earlier this year, Trump pointed out that he personally signed a presidential award. The 79-year-old joked, "Mine's not an autopen," as he crossed out a printed signature and wrote his name on the document himself.

Why the autopen debate matters

Last year, Trump declared that pardons made by Biden during his presidency are "void, vacant and of no further force or effect" as the former president used an autopen signature. 

Trump first focused on Biden’s use of the autopen in March, leaning into the idea that the former president’s use of the tool to sign documents showed that he wasn’t in charge while in the White House and that his actions were “null and void.”

Later in the year, the Republican leader added a Presidential Walk of Fame to the exterior of the White House, featuring portraits of each of the previous commanders-in-chief — except for one.

Instead of a headshot of Joe Biden, the Republican leader hung a photo of an autopen signing the Democrat's name, a reference to Trump's frequent allegation that the former president was addled by the end of his term in office and not really the one making decisions.

Autopens have been used by presidents of both parties for decades. The device is generally employed for routine correspondence, ceremonial documents, and, in some cases, official actions authorized by the president.

Trump, however, has framed the issue as one of transparency and accountability. His argument is that presidential decisions should be clearly attributable to the elected commander-in-chief rather than aides or staff operating behind the scenes.