On July 14, 2025, a political firestorm erupted as President Donald Trump delivered a scathing three-word rebuke—“he knew nothing”—to former President Joe Biden’s defense of his use of an autopen to sign thousands of pardons and commutations during the final months of his presidency. The controversy, which has sparked outrage among Republicans and prompted congressional investigations, centers on Biden’s reliance on an automated signature device to grant clemency to high-profile figures, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, members of Congress, and Biden’s own family members. Trump’s biting remark, delivered during a press conference at the White House, has intensified scrutiny of Biden’s mental capacity during his term and raised questions about the legality and ethics of using an autopen for such significant executive actions. This article explores the origins of the scandal, Biden’s defense, Trump’s response, and the broader implications for American governance.
The Autopen Controversy: A Growing Scandal
The use of an autopen—a mechanical device that replicates a person’s signature—has long been a routine practice in the White House for signing low-stakes documents, such as constituent letters or ceremonial proclamations. However, its application to major executive actions, particularly pardons and commutations, has sparked unprecedented debate. In the waning months of Biden’s presidency, which ended in January 2025, his administration issued thousands of clemency actions, including pardons for politically prominent individuals like Dr. Fauci and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, as well as sentence reductions for approximately 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders and 1,500 individuals on home confinement since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden’s team has defended the use of the autopen as a practical necessity, citing the sheer volume of clemency actions—25 pardon and commutation warrants between December 2024 and January 2025—as justification. In a rare interview with The New York Times, Biden insisted that he personally authorized every clemency decision, stating, “I made every single one of those,” and dismissed Republican criticisms as lies. He argued that the autopen was used “because there were a lot of them” and emphasized that he had set broad standards for the categories of individuals to be pardoned, such as those facing potential political persecution under a Trump-led Justice Department.
However, Trump and his allies have seized on the autopen’s use as evidence of deeper issues. In March 2025, Trump first raised concerns in a Truth Social post, alleging that the pardons were issued “without the knowledge or consent” of Biden, suggesting that his aides may have acted unilaterally to mask his cognitive decline. Since then, the controversy has snowballed, with Republicans arguing that the autopen’s use for such significant actions undermines the legitimacy of the pardons and raises questions about who truly held executive power during Biden’s final days in office.
Trump’s Three-Word Takedown
During a press conference on July 14, 2025, Trump delivered his now-infamous three-word putdown: “He knew nothing.” The remark was a direct response to Biden’s New York Times interview, where he defended his autopen use and accused Trump and Republicans of lying about his mental state. Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, called the autopen scandal “one of the biggest in 50 to 100 years,” asserting that Biden was unaware of the documents he was signing and that his aides may have abused presidential authority. “I guarantee you he knew nothinghull
Trump’s comments echoed earlier statements he made on social media, where he described the use of an autopen for pardons as “disgraceful” and questioned whether Biden had authorized the actions or if “somebody in an office, maybe a Radical Left lunatic,” was responsible. He further argued that the autopen should be reserved for trivial correspondence, not for significant legal actions like pardons. “You don’t use autopen. Number one, it is disrespectful to the office,” he said in March 2025.
The Oversight Project, a conservative group affiliated with the Heritage Foundation, has fueled Trump’s narrative by pointing out that digital records of Biden’s executive orders in the Federal Register show identical signatures, suggesting widespread autopen use. Theo Wold, a member of the group, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that dozens of controversial pardons, including Fauci’s, were signed by the autopen without Biden’s direct involvement. This has led to Republican demands for sworn interviews with Biden’s aides, with some facing potential perjury charges as the Justice Department, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, investigates possible misconduct.
Biden’s Defense and the Republican Backlash
Biden’s defense has centered on the legality and precedent of autopen use, noting that previous presidents, including Trump, have employed the device for various purposes. In his New York Times interview, Biden claimed he made every clemency decision orally and that his staff used the autopen to execute them efficiently. He specifically defended pardons for figures like Fauci and Milley, stating that he anticipated Trump’s vindictive tendencies and wanted to protect them from baseless legal attacks. “We know how vindictive Trump is,” Biden said, adding that he acted to prevent his allies from incurring massive legal fees.
However, Republicans have rejected Biden’s explanations, arguing that the autopen’s use for such high-stakes actions raises serious ethical and legal questions. Some, like Senator Rand Paul, have called for criminal investigations into individuals like Fauci, whose pardon they claim was improperly executed via autopen. Congressional Republicans have launched probes through the House Oversight Committee, alleging that Biden’s aides may have used the autopen without his full authorization to conceal his mental incapacity. Trump has further escalated the issue by ordering a Justice Department investigation in June 2025 to examine whether Biden’s staff conspired to deceive the public about his cognitive state.
Reports have also revealed that Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, gave final approval for some autopen-signed pardons, including those for Fauci and Milley, based on routine updates to clemency lists. While Biden’s team described this as standard practice, Republicans argue it suggests a lack of direct presidential oversight, potentially invalidating the pardons.
Public and Political Reactions
The controversy has ignited fierce reactions across political and social media platforms. On X, users like @DailyMail and @mrsunshinebaby have amplified Trump’s criticisms, with posts describing Biden’s autopen use as a scandal and questioning his awareness of the actions taken in his name. Others, such as @bennyjohnson and @TheInsiderPaper, have called the situation “disgraceful,” echoing Trump’s sentiment that the autopen’s use for pardons undermines the presidency’s integrity.
Meanwhile, Biden’s supporters have dismissed the controversy as a politically motivated attack. They argue that the autopen is a widely accepted tool and that Biden’s decisions were made deliberately to protect vulnerable individuals from Trump’s potential retribution. The New York Times reported that Biden’s aides made minor adjustments to clemency lists based on new information from the Bureau of Prisons, but these were within the scope of Biden’s approved categories.
Public sentiment, as reflected on X, is deeply divided. Some users express outrage, with comments like “Joe Biden’s autopen pardons are illegitimate and must be revoked,” while others defend Biden’s practicality, noting the logistical challenges of signing thousands of documents manually. The debate has further polarized an already divided political landscape, with implications for public trust in governmental processes.
The Broader Implications
The autopen scandal raises critical questions about the balance between efficiency and accountability in the exercise of presidential power. The device, first used by President Harry Truman in the 1940s, has long been a tool for managing the overwhelming volume of documents a president must sign. However, its use for constitutionally significant actions like pardons has sparked concerns about transparency and authority. Legal experts are divided on whether autopen-signed pardons are invalid, with some arguing that the president’s explicit authorization is sufficient, while others contend that the lack of a physical signature could render them legally vulnerable.
The controversy also highlights the ongoing political rivalry between Trump and Biden. Trump’s aggressive rhetoric, including his order for a Justice Department investigation, suggests a broader effort to discredit his predecessor’s legacy. For Biden, the scandal threatens to overshadow his administration’s clemency achievements, which included significant criminal justice reforms, such as commuting the sentences of death row inmates and nonviolent offenders.
As investigations proceed, the autopen issue could have lasting implications for how future administrations handle executive actions. Congress may push for stricter guidelines on autopen use, while the public’s trust in the presidency’s decision-making processes hangs in the balance. For now, Trump’s three-word putdown has crystallized the debate, framing Biden’s defense as an admission of weakness and fueling a scandal that shows no signs of abating.
Looking Ahead
The autopen controversy is far from resolved, with congressional and Justice Department investigations likely to intensify in the coming months. Trump’s relentless focus on the issue, coupled with Republican demands for accountability, ensures that Biden’s final acts as president will remain under scrutiny. For Biden, the defense of his clemency decisions has become a battle to protect his legacy, while Trump’s provocative rhetoric keeps the issue in the public eye.
As the nation grapples with this unprecedented scandal, the words “he knew nothing” resonate as a stark reminder of the fragility of trust in leadership. Whether the autopen controversy will lead to legal challenges, policy reforms, or merely political posturing remains to be seen, but its impact on the discourse surrounding presidential authority is undeniable.
