Trump ‘voids’ Biden’s last minute pardons after claim ex president made one crucial mistake when doing them

Donald Trump took over as Joe Biden’s predecessor on January 20 (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In another post, Trump claimed the person who ‘controlled the Autopen’ during Biden’s term in office was ‘the real President’.

This claim was preceded by an image depicting the last three portraits of America’s past and sitting Presidents, the first and third being pictures of Trump following his 2016 and 2024 victories, respectively.

Instead of Biden in the second image to mark his 2020 triumph, Trump replaced this with a picture of Biden’s autopen signature.

Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance have both shared the insinuating image on their respective social media accounts, with the former following it up with a bullseye and laughing face.

What is an autopen?

According to Business Standard, an autopen has been utilised by high-level officials since the 1950s.

It allows for mechanical signatures to be issued by authority figures when they are personally unavailable by tracing a pre-programmed signature template.

Biden, Barack Obama and Harry Truman are three former Presidents who have utilised the autopen, as per The Sun.

Previously, Former President George W. Bush tasked the Justice Department to review the legality of autopen signatures, with the government’s lawyers concluding it was legal, as per The New York Post.

However, it’s understood there is no definitive court ruling on whether a pardon signed by autopen without direct approval or knowledge is legally valid, therefore leaving Trump’s challenge open to legal scrutiny.