Donald Trump has declared he intends to cancel most of the executive orders signed by Joe Biden, his predecessor as president of the United States. Mr Trump has also obsessively cast doubt on the validity of pardons and other documents that Mr Biden signed with an autopen, even though for decades other presidents have relied on the device to sign key papers. Mr Trump himself has used an autopen in the past. The sweeping announcement left many questions about how Mr Trump would nullify Mr Biden’s pardons and executive orders, given that US presidents are allowed to use the autopen – and that there has been no concrete evidence of any attempt to bypass Mr Biden’s will at the end of his second term. Legal experts have also warned that attempts to void past executive actions could set a problematic precedent, given that so many other presidents have utilised the autopen.

Source: The Irish Times November 29, 2025 17:52 UTC