The Documents May Be Signed, But Was The Man In Charge?

Saturday, December 6, 2025, 10:00 A.M. ET. 5 Minute Read, Op-Ed, By Jennifer Hodges, Political Editor: Englebrook Independent News,

WASHINGTON, DC.- President Donald Trump detonated a political and constitutional firestorm this week after announcing on social media that he is “terminating all executive orders and revoking all pardons signed by the autopen during Joe Biden’s presidency.” The declaration, made for the second time in less than a week, has ignited outrage from Democrats, celebrations among Trump supporters, and deep concern among constitutional scholars.

     But beneath the political shockwaves lies a far more unsettling question, one that neither party has been willing to confront honestly for four years:

Who was actually running the Biden presidency?

     Trump’s announcement, while not legally binding on its own, directly targets the long-simmering controversy surrounding Biden’s heavy reliance on the autopen, a mechanical device used to replicate a president’s signature. The autopen itself is not illegal. Every modern president has used it. What is in dispute, however, is whether Biden meaningfully authorized the vast volume of executive power exercised in his name during periods of documented cognitive decline.

     This is not merely a matter of signatures. It is a question of consent, capacity, and control of the federal government.

What The House Oversight Depositions Actually Revealed;

     Earlier this year, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee conducted closed-door depositions of multiple Biden White House staffers, logistical aides, and administrative officials directly involved in executive documentation flow. While Democrats insisted these depositions “cleared” the administration, sworn testimony painted a far murkier picture.

Key admissions included:

• Senior staff, not the president, often initiated executive directives for processing.
• Final authorization was frequently routed through “designated approval channels,” rather than through direct presidential interaction.
• The autopen was used extensively during periods when Biden was traveling, isolated, or out of public view for extended stretches.
• No uniform record existed proving Biden personally reviewed each action prior to signature execution.
• To be clear: This does not yet prove illegality. But it does confirm systemic insulation of presidential authority from the elected president himself.

     That alone should terrify every American, regardless of party.

The Legal Reality: Trump’s Move Is Political, Not Automatic;

     Despite the explosive rhetoric, legal experts across the ideological spectrum agree on one immediate reality: 

     A former or sitting president cannot unilaterally void prior executive orders or pardons simply by declaration.

     Executive orders can be overridden only by:

• New executive orders,
• Acts of Congress,
• Or judicial rulings.

     Presidential pardons, once validly issued, are considered constitutionally final and historically irreversible except under extraordinary circumstances such as proven forgery or fraud.

Trump’s announcement, therefore, functions primarily as a political and investigative challenge, not yet as enforceable law.

     But politically, the message is unmistakable:

     Trump is formally accusing the Biden presidency of operating as an unelected administrative regime, which is now becoming clear that Biden may not have been in control of the autopen.

The Autopen Isn’t The Scandal, The Silence Is;

    Democrats and legacy media outlets insist the autopen itself is routine. That part is true. What they refuse to confront is the unprecedented combination of autopen dependence, medical secrecy, staff-driven governance, and narrative control.

     For four years, legitimate medical questions were dismissed as “ageism.”
     Visible cognitive lapses were branded “cheap fakes.”
     Access to Biden was tightly controlled.
     Press conferences were rare.
     Unscripted interactions were minimized.
     Decision-making was increasingly opaque.

     And now, suddenly, the American public is supposed to believe that every executive order, national security directive, student loan policy, border memorandum, and pardon was personally reviewed, cognitively processed, and knowingly approved by a president whose own party quietly limited his exposure to unscripted speech.

     That is not transparency.
     That is insulation.

Was This The Largest Political Deception In Modern American History?

     No court has ruled, yet, that Biden’s presidency was legally invalid. But morally and politically, the damage is already done.

     If senior aides exercised de facto presidential authority without consistent, direct, provable authorization from the elected commander-in-chief, then the country was not governed by Joe Biden.

    It was governed by:

• Bureaucrats,
• Political operatives,
• And unnamed inner-circle decision-makers, the public never elected.

     That is not democracy.
     That is managerial rule by proxy.

     Trump’s announcement, symbolic as it may be for now, has dragged this uncomfortable truth fully into the open. And Democrats, instead of welcoming sunlight, are once again retreating behind procedural defenses and legal technicalities while avoiding the core ethical question entirely.

What Happens Next;

     Politically, Trump’s declaration is unlikely to fade. Republicans in Congress are already signaling:

• Expanded subpoenas for Biden document authorization chains.
• Medical disclosure demands.
• Authorship verification for late-term executive actions and pardons.
• Potential judicial challenges to select actions where authorization evidence is weakest.

     Whether any of this ultimately overturns specific Biden-era policies remains uncertain. But the illusion of unquestioned presidential control over the past four years is now broken.

And once broken, it cannot be restored by spin.

Editor’s Note:

This investigative op-ed is based on publicly available congressional deposition summaries, constitutional law precedent regarding executive orders and presidential pardon authority, historical use of the autopen across multiple administrations, and President Donald Trump’s verified social media statements issued in late November and early December 2025 regarding the termination of Biden-era autopen actions.

Englebrook Independent News distinguishes clearly between verified legal fact and political opinion. While no final judicial ruling has invalidated any Biden executive orders or pardons as of this publication date, the unanswered questions surrounding authorization, presidential capacity, and staff-driven governance remain matters of ongoing public concern and congressional inquiry.