United States President Donald Trump weighed in on the controversy surrounding former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen for signing official documents, calling it “one of the biggest, ever.”
In a
post on Truth Social, Trump said the issue, while significant, is “not as big as the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, or the rigged 2020 presidential election.”
Trump’s remarks come amid heightened scrutiny over the use of autopens, a device that allows documents to be signed remotely without the signatory physically writing their signature.
Earlier, Trump mocked Biden, saying that the latter’s photo in the White House would feature an “autopen.” During an interview with The Daily Caller, Trump said, “We’re doing what’s called the Presidential Wall of Fame.” Asked if he would put a picture of Biden, he replied, “We put up a picture of the autopen.”
In the interview, the president also showed some of the new features in the White House, including a sketch of Biden’s official portrait.
In June, Trump ordered an investigation into the alleged practice and accused Biden’s aides of hiding his mental decline. Biden has rejected the charge, calling it “ridiculous and false,” and insisted he personally made all presidential decisions.
The autopen has been used by various U.S. presidents over time. The Justice Department has previously said presidents can legally use the autopen. President Harry S. Truman is believed to be the first to use the modern autopen regularly, according to a report by Politico.
Other than Biden, the other high-profile US political figure to face heat for using the autopen was Donald Rumsfeld, the US’s former defence secretary.
Rumsfeld acknowledged using the mechanical signature device to sign condolence letters sent to the families of soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 1803, John Isaac Hawkins, an English engineer, patented the polygraph, a device designed to replicate handwritten documents simultaneously. This invention is considered a forerunner of the modern autopen. Notably, US President Thomas Jefferson extensively used the polygraph for his correspondence.
Since the invention of the autopen, politicians, business executives, and celebs have used it to sign large volumes of documents.
Former US President Barack Obama was the first to publicly acknowledge using an autopen to sign a bill into law in 2011.
