U.S. President Donald Trump appears to have reached a new low in his efforts to discredit his predecessor, Joe Biden. In an official video released by the White House, the "Presidential Hall of Fame" in the West Wing was revealed to display portraits of all U.S. presidents, except for Biden. In place of Biden's photo, an image of an autopen machine was used, a move meant to humiliate the former president and a bitter political rival.
This act of mockery is a direct reference to Biden's own admission that he used an autopen machine to sign pardons for prisoners. The move is part of a broader, sustained effort by Trump to tarnish Biden's legacy and reinforce the narrative that the former president was unfit for office.
Trump's actions seem to challenge the legitimacy of Biden's presidency, particularly his final acts in office. Biden had granted pardons to members of the investigative committee for the January 6, 2021, Capitol events, and admitted in a New York Times interview that he had used an autopen for the signatures. Trump has since argued that these and other presidential documents signed by Biden may be invalid.
