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 statement withdrawing from the 2024 presidential contest, which featured a unique name.
The discovery has raised serious questions about whether unelected staff were making important decisions on Biden’s behalf—especially as worries about his mental collapse grew in his last years in office, reported Fox News.
Autopen or real?
The Oversight Project claims that every report it reviewed, from professional orders to national guidelines, used an identical autopen signature—suggesting Biden himself may not have signed them.
” We gathered every file we could get with Biden’s name over the course of his presidency. All used the same autopen signature except for the news that the former President was dropping out of the competition next time”, the team 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 comparison, Biden’s removal letter had a different name, reading “J. R. Biden”.
The Oversight Project argues this gap raises questions about whether Biden physically approved key policy decisions, caution:” Who controlled the autopen controlled the presidency”.
Calls for inspection
The results have prompted legal and political reaction. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has formally urged the Department of Justice ( DOJ) to investigate whether Biden’s mental decline allowed workers to enact laws without his direct approval.
” There are serious reasons to suspect that Biden’s team and political friends exploited his mental decline to matter alleged political purchases without his knowing approval”, Bailey wrote in a text to the DOJ.
” If correct, these executive requests, pardons, and all other activities are unlawful and legally space”.
Among the records reportedly signed using an autopen was an August 2022 order protecting abortion access in crisis conditions and a December 2024 get closing state offices on January 9, 2025, in honor of former President Jimmy Carter.
Biden’s mental problems
The autopen discussion adds energy to existing worries about Biden’s mental health. Throughout his last months in office, investigation over his mental decline intensified, especially after his tragic debate efficiency against Trump in June 2024.
During the conversation, Biden generally lost his train of thought, looked confused, and struggled to answer inquiries. Past popular events —such as Barack Obama guiding him off a step and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni steering him up to a party at the G7 summit—only deepened concerns about his ability to lead.
A month later, Biden withdrew from the 2024 culture and endorsed Kamala Harris, who went on to reduce to Donald Trump in the December vote.
What happens future?
The Oversight Project is demanding a complete research into the use of autopen during Biden’s president, pushing for comments on” who controlled the autopen” and whether appropriate supervision systems were in place.
” For researchers to identify whether then-President Biden actually ordered the name of important legal documents —or if he even had the mental power to—they must first identify who controlled the autopen”, the party 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.
