President Donald Trump lambasted former President Biden on Tuesday, pledging to investigate the usage of the autopen during his term, just days after his predecessor announced he had prostate cancer.
“Biden — look, It’s a very sad thing what happened, but we’re going to start looking into this whole thing with who signed this legislation. Who signed legislation opening our border? I don’t think he knew. I said, ‘There’s nobody that can want an open border. Nobody,’” Trump told reporters when he arrived to the Capitol to help break the GOP impasse on the reconciliation bill.
“And now I find out, that it wasn’t him. He autopenned it. Who was operating the autopen? This is a very serious thing,” he continued. “We had a president that didn’t sign anything. He autopenned almost anything. He opened the borders of the United States of America,” Trump added.
Trump previously questioned whether Biden’s last-minute pardons in January were “void” since they were signed with an autopen. Over the weekend, after the release of recordings of the former president’s interview with a special counsel, he reiterated that point.
Trump continued to query if an autopen was engaged in immigration decisions, implying that advisers affiliated with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) rather than Biden were in charge.
“No sane person would sign it. You know who signed it? Radical-left lunatics that were running our country, and the autopen signed it, and they didn’t want him, and they were disappointed in getting him because they wanted Bernie Sanders,” Trump said.
“And then after about two weeks, they said, ‘Wait a minute, this is a gift. He’ll do anything. We’re going to use the autopen.’ [And] they used the autopen on everything. He didn’t approve this,” he added.
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Trump issued a heartfelt statement following former President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive type of prostate cancer.
“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has responded after Biden announced that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
“Doug and I are saddened to learn of President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis. We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time. Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery,” Harris wrote in a post on the social platform X.
Biden and his family “are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” Biden announced in a statement.
The new health diagnosis comes amid the publishing of new books and reports that faulted aides to the former president for hiding his deteriorating mental capacities during his presidency.
Well-wishes and prayers began to pour in after Biden’s office made the announcement.
Former President Barack Obama, for whom Biden served as Vice President, said Sunday, “Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery.”