3 hours ago
4
According to the
Heritage Foundation
’s Oversight Project, nearly all executive orders and official documents signed by Biden during his presidency (2021-2025) bear the exact same autopen-generated signature. The only exception? His announcement withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race, which featured a different signature.
The revelation has raised serious questions about whether unelected staffers were making crucial decisions on Biden’s behalf—especially as concerns about his cognitive decline grew in his final years in office, reported Fox News.
Autopen or authentic?
The Oversight Project claims that every document it reviewed, from executive orders to presidential directives, used an identical autopen signature—suggesting Biden himself may not have signed them.
“We gathered every document we could find with Biden’s signature over the course of his presidency. All used the same autopen signature except for the announcement that the former President was dropping out of the race last year,” the group said on X.
They also shared side-by-side images of Biden’s signature from two executive orders—one from 2022 and another from 2024—both appearing identical, featuring a straight line followed by "R. Biden Jr." In contrast, Biden’s withdrawal letter had a different signature, reading “J.R. Biden.”
The Oversight Project argues this discrepancy raises doubts about whether Biden personally approved major policy decisions, warning: “Who controlled the autopen controlled the presidency.”
Calls for investigation
The findings have prompted legal and political backlash. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has formally urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate whether Biden’s mental decline allowed staff to enact policies without his direct approval.
“There are profound reasons to suspect that Biden's staff and political allies exploited his mental decline to issue purported presidential orders without his knowing approval,” Bailey wrote in a letter to the DOJ.
“If true, these executive orders, pardons, and all other actions are unconstitutional and legally void.”
Among the documents allegedly signed using an autopen was an August 2022 directive protecting abortion access in emergency situations and a December 2024 order closing government offices on January 9, 2025, in honor of former President Jimmy Carter.
Biden’s cognitive concerns
The autopen controversy adds fuel to existing concerns about Biden’s mental fitness. Throughout his final months in office, scrutiny over his cognitive decline intensified, particularly after his disastrous debate performance against Trump in June 2024.
During the debate, Biden often lost his train of thought, looked confused, and struggled to answer questions. Past viral moments—such as Barack Obama guiding him off a stage and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni steering him back to a group at the G7 summit—only deepened doubts about his ability to lead.
A month later, Biden withdrew from the 2024 race and endorsed Kamala Harris, who went on to lose to Donald Trump in the December election.
What happens next?
The Oversight Project is demanding a full investigation into the use of autopen during Biden’s presidency, pushing for answers on “who controlled the autopen” and whether proper oversight mechanisms were in place.
“For investigators to determine whether then-President Biden actually ordered the signature of relevant legal documents—or if he even had the mental capacity to—they must first determine who controlled the autopen,” the group stated.
With legal challenges looming, this controversy could have major implications—not just for Biden’s legacy, but for the legitimacy of policies enacted under his name.
