President Donald Trump has announced plans to display a provocative portrait of his predecessor Joe Biden that will prominently feature the former president’s controversial autopen device, which has become the subject of a major federal investigation. The announcement came during a White House tour on Friday, where Trump described the planned portrait as “very controversial” while showing sketches to a Daily Caller reporter.
The portrait, set to be unveiled within the next two weeks as part of Trump’s new “Presidential Wall of Fame” in the Rose Garden, represents an unprecedented departure from traditional presidential portraiture. Trump’s decision to highlight the autopen controversy through Biden’s official White House portrait underscores the administration’s commitment to investigating what they characterize as one of the most significant presidential scandals in modern American history.
Trump’s Portrait Presentation and Design Details
During Friday’s White House tour, President Trump personally presented the portrait concept to Daily Caller reporter Reagan Reese, explaining his vision for the controversial display. “We put up a picture of the autopen,” Trump stated, though he did not specify whether the portrait would show Biden with the device or feature the autopen as a standalone element within the composition.
Trump demonstrated particular attention to the aesthetic details of the portrait, showing various options including both color and black-and-white versions. “I think the black and white – same picture, but black and white. Yeah, and I’m not using that one with the smile,” he told the reporter, indicating his preference for a more somber presentation. The president was joined by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Communications Director Steven Cheung during the presentation, suggesting the portrait concept has received high-level administration approval.
The timing of the portrait’s planned installation, just two weeks after Trump’s announcement, indicates the administration’s urgency in highlighting what they view as Biden’s signature scandal. Trump’s description of the portrait as “very controversial” suggests he anticipates significant public and political reaction to this unprecedented approach to presidential portraiture.
Federal Investigation into Biden’s Autopen Usage
The portrait announcement coincides with an extensive federal investigation into Biden’s use of the autopen device during his presidency. Early in his current term, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington to conduct a comprehensive review of Biden’s signature practices, while Congressional Republicans have launched parallel investigations.
In a scathing memorandum, Trump characterized the situation as a conspiracy, stating: “It has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority.” The president described this as “one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” emphasizing the constitutional implications of the alleged signature abuse.
Trump’s directive calls for a forensic review of every document signed during Biden’s presidency, including pardons, executive orders, judicial appointments, and proclamations. The investigation aims to determine which documents bore Biden’s authentic signature versus those replicated by the autopen device, potentially calling into question the validity of significant executive actions taken during the previous administration.
Historical Context and Presidential Autopen Precedent
While the autopen device has been utilized by previous presidents to manage the volume of documents requiring signatures, critics argue that Biden’s reliance on the technology was unprecedented in scope and application. The Justice Department has historically recognized autopen use by both Democratic and Republican administrations for routine correspondence and lower-level appointments, with presidents including George W. Bush and Barack Obama employing the device in limited circumstances.
However, an exhaustive review by the Oversight Project revealed that nearly every document from Biden’s presidency between 2021 and 2025 bore identical autopen signatures, with the notable exception of his withdrawal announcement from the 2024 presidential race. This finding has raised significant questions about the extent to which Biden personally authorized major presidential decisions versus delegating signature authority to aides and family members.
Trump himself has acknowledged using autopen technology, explaining: “Autopens to me are used when thousands of letters come in from young people all over the country and you want to get them back.” However, he argues that Biden’s alleged overuse of the device crossed constitutional boundaries and potentially invalidated significant executive actions, stating that “essentially, whoever used the autopen was the president.”
Biden’s Defense and Controversial Pardons
In response to mounting criticism, Biden has defended his use of the autopen device, particularly regarding his extensive commutation and pardon activities. Speaking to the New York Times, Biden insisted: “I made every decision” and “I consciously made all those decisions,” addressing concerns that aides were making presidential determinations without his direct involvement.
Biden explained his reliance on the autopen for processing approximately 4,000 federal commutations, stating there were simply “too many people” for individual hand-signing. Instead, he claims to have “signed off on the criteria and standards” used to determine which criminals received reduced sentences, placing offenders into categories for sweeping pardons. This systematic approach has drawn criticism from those who argue it represents an abdication of presidential responsibility for individual case review.
The one notable exception to Biden’s autopen usage was the controversial hand-signed pardon of his son Hunter Biden, which shielded him from prosecution for federal crimes committed between January 2014 and December 2024. This selective personal attention to his son’s case while using automated signatures for thousands of other legal matters has intensified scrutiny of Biden’s decision-making process and priorities during his presidency.
Congressional Oversight and Witness Demands
House Oversight Chairman James Comer has launched comprehensive parallel inquiries into the autopen scandal, demanding testimony from Biden’s former top aides including Mike Donilon, Anita Dunn, Ron Klain, Bruce Reed, and Steve Ricchetti. Comer alleges these officials participated in a deliberate “cover-up” of Biden’s cognitive decline and may have wielded unauthorized executive power through autopen manipulation.
The congressional investigation has been bolstered by explosive allegations from CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson’s book “Original Sin,” which claimed that “five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.” These revelations have provided congressional Republicans with additional justification for their expansive witness demands and document requests.
Committee subpoenas have also been issued for Biden’s physician Kevin O’Connor and several White House aides who allegedly helped conceal Biden’s true cognitive condition from public scrutiny. Republicans argue that if Biden’s staff, rather than Biden himself, made critical presidential decisions, it could fundamentally undermine the constitutional validity of major executive actions, including controversial pardons of family members and January 6th committee members.
Constitutional Implications and Political Ramifications
The autopen controversy raises profound constitutional questions about presidential authority, cognitive capacity, and the delegation of executive power. Trump’s characterization of the situation as potentially “one of the biggest scandals in 50 to 100 years” reflects the administration’s view that Biden’s signature practices may have violated fundamental principles of presidential governance and accountability.
Legal experts and constitutional scholars are closely monitoring the investigation’s findings, as they could establish precedents for future presidential capacity evaluations and signature verification requirements. The scandal has also intensified discussions about implementing formal mechanisms for assessing presidential fitness for office and establishing clearer boundaries around the delegation of executive signature authority.
The planned portrait’s installation represents more than symbolic politics—it signals Trump’s intention to make Biden’s autopen usage a defining legacy issue. By permanently displaying this controversy in the White House’s Presidential Wall of Fame, Trump is ensuring that future visitors and historians will be confronted with questions about presidential authenticity and the potential abuse of executive signature authority during one of the most consequential periods in recent American political history.
