Donald Trump has declared he intends to cancel most of the executive orders signed by Joe Biden, his predecessor as president of the United States.

In a post on social media, Trump claimed baselessly that Biden had not signed off on the orders himself, saying that “the radical left lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him” by signing his name using an autopen – a signature machine that has commonly been used by US presidents since the device’s invention.

“The Autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President of the United States,” Trump said, baselessly alleging that it was operated by other people without Biden’s approval and claiming that “approximately 92%” of all executive orders were therefore invalid.

  • Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org
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    13 hours ago

    Being perfectly honest, all EOs should have an expiration date. If it’s important enough to keep going, pass a law by approval of the people (at worst, the legislature). If it’s not, then we shouldn’t have a single person having the ability to make long-term changes to American life.

    • immutable@lemmy.zip
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      10 hours ago

      Executive orders shouldn’t have the ability to make law or ignore laws. The legislative branch passes the laws and the executive branch is supposed to faithfully execute them.

      An executive order is meant to lay out how the executive departments should carry out the laws passed by the legislative branch. And if they overstep that by failing to faithfully execute the laws or creating their own laws out of executive orders, the judiciary is supposed to act as a check.

      Our constitutional order seems to have completely failed. The legislative branch is in a state of permanent deadlock, except when it comes to tax breaks for the uber wealthy and defense spending. So EOs have expanded in scope and the judiciary has just shrugged and decided that the whole separation of powers and checks and balances thing isn’t worthwhile anymore.

      • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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        8 hours ago

        The legislative branch is in a state of permanent deadlock,

        Intentional permanent deadlock. There’s a reason Democrats refuse to get rid of the filibuster.

        • Baron Von J@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          You may not have noticed, but the Republicans who are presently in charge also didn’t get rid of the filibuster to end the shutdown like Trump asked them to. However, both parties made changes to the filibuster for judicial appointments in last 15 years (Democratic majority in 2013 and Republican majority in 2018).

          • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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            5 hours ago

            the Republicans who are presently in charge also didn’t get rid of the filibuster to end the shutdown like Trump asked them to.

            Yes, because the Democrats folded.

    • TVA@thebrainbin.org
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      13 hours ago

      Agreed, they’re not supposed to be laws, they’re supposed (as far as I understand it anyways) to essentially be “as the head of the Executive branch, here is how I want my underlings to handle/interpret this particular thing that the Executive branch already has authority over” … it really doesn’t make sense that they’d last any longer than that particular Presidents term(s).

      • meco03211@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        Yup. Remember when target announced they wouldn’t pursue charges for theft under $25? That was essentially the “president” (ceo) telling the “field offices” (stores) not to go after those crimes. It doesn’t change the fact those are still crimes and a store could still go after it against the order.

    • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      Even regular laws should have a trial period, and only get confirmed after demonstrating that they have the intended effect.

  • Typhoon@lemmy.ca
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    13 hours ago

    I love this trend because the next reasonable president can cancel all of Trump’s stupid bullshit EOs.

    • HumanOnEarth@lemmy.ca
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      12 hours ago

      Jesus, people still think the USA is going to get a new reasonable president?

      Whatever happens, the United States will never be the same. Whenever there’s anyone reasonable in power there again, it won’t be the same country. This is all so obviously going to fall apart before it gets better.

      • Typhoon@lemmy.ca
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        12 hours ago

        At some point it will get a reasonable one. Obviously it won’t be the same country. It’ll be a country that elects a reasonable president.

  • Corvidae@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    I had to read a bit more than this article to understand why. Search reminded me of Trumps often repeated phrase, “Crooked Joe Biden”. It’s Trump’s way to keep the opposing-party scapegoat alive.