Karoline Leavitt Responds To Questions About Trump Statement Regarding Biden Autopen Use
Oh, this was a press briefing to remember! White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not hold back when CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed her on President Trump’s claim that some of Biden’s pardons were signed without his knowledge. And let’s just say—Leavitt’s response was a masterclass in turning the tables.
The whole thing started when Collins asked about Trump’s announcement that he was voiding pardons Biden had allegedly “signed” in his final days—except, according to Trump, those signatures came from an autopen and not from Biden himself. That little detail led to an even bigger question: Did Biden even know about these pardons?
Leavitt, never one to pass up an opportunity to highlight Biden’s cognitive struggles, took the moment to point out the elephant in the room. “I know it took people some time to finally admit that, but we all know that to be true, as evidenced by his disastrous debate performance against President Trump,” she said, referring to Biden’s widely criticized on-stage fumbles.
And while she tried to move back to the issue at hand, the underlying message was crystal clear—if Biden wasn’t even fully aware during a debate, who’s to say he was aware of what was happening in the final days of his administration?
Then came the real kicker. Leavitt pointed to a report from the New York Post, which suggested that even some Biden officials were uneasy about the situation. If White House staffers were using the president’s name to issue pardons without his knowledge, well, that’s not just a bureaucratic mix-up—that’s something that could land people in serious legal trouble.
Collins, doing her job as a reporter, pushed back: Was there actually any proof that Biden wasn’t aware of his own pardons?
And Leavitt? Oh, she delivered a knockout punch.
“You’re a reporter, you should find out.”
Boom. That’s how you flip the script.
.@PressSec on Biden’s autopen pre-emptive pardons: “Did the President even know about these pardons? Was his legal signature used without his consent or knowledge?… I think it’s a question that everybody in this room should be looking into.” pic.twitter.com/sH5XLhng9I
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 17, 2025