How many bills did Trump sign in 2020 using an autopen and which ones?

1. What the public record says about presidents and autopens

The historical and legal record summarized in contemporary coverage shows autopens have been used by multiple presidents for decades, sometimes to affix signatures to bills when a president is absent, and the Justice Department’s 2005 Office of Legal Counsel memo concluded a president can “sign” a bill by directing a subordinate to affix his signature by autopen ^{[1] [2]}. Reporting makes clear autopen use is not novel or per se illegal; media accounts repeatedly cite the 2005 OLC opinion as the controlling precedent ^{[2] [1]}.

2. What reporting says about Trump’s own use

Several outlets note that Donald Trump has used an autopen in the past for some routine matters, and that critics point out his administration and others have relied on the device; stories framing the 2025 autopen dispute often remind readers that past presidents — including Trump — have used the machine ^{[1] [2]}. None of the supplied sources, however, identify a list of bills Trump actually signed with an autopen in 2020; available sources do not mention any specific 2020 bills signed by Trump via autopen (not found in current reporting) ^[1].

3. Why the detail matters legally and politically

Legal commentators quoted in coverage stress different stakes: the OLC opinion supports autopen use for bills, but pundits and some Republicans argue that certain actions (pardon forms, allegedly sensitive orders) should require in-person or explicit documented approval ^{[2] [3]}. The Hill and other outlets report political actors are using autopen allegations as a tool to challenge the legitimacy of actions by recent presidents, underscoring that disputes about method often mask partisan aims ^{[4] [5]}.

4. Gaps and limits in available reporting

Current reporting in the provided sources focuses on Trump’s 2025 declarations about cancelling Biden-era autopen-signed documents and on prior DOJ guidance; none of the selected articles supply an itemized accounting of bills autopen-signed by Trump in 2020. If you seek a definitive inventory, those primary-document details are not in these sources — available sources do not mention a catalog of 2020 bills signed by autopen (not found in current reporting) ^{[2] [1]}.

5. Conflicting perspectives found in the coverage

News organizations relay competing takes. Legal experts and the 2005 OLC memo lean toward allowing autopen use for bills, while some conservative commentators and Republican officeholders argue that using an autopen without contemporaneous written authorization raises constitutional or evidentiary questions for items like pardons or delegated acts ^{[2] [4]}. Media outlets also highlight partisan motives: Trump and allies frame autopen use as proof of misconduct or incapacity, while others frame the attack as political theater given long-standing precedent ^{[5] [6]}.

6. How to verify specific bill-level claims

To determine whether any particular 2020 bill was autopen-signed, one would need contemporaneous White House records, archival presidential schedules, or official statements identifying when a device was used; the stories in hand point to the legal framework and the political debate but do not cite those primary records (available sources do not mention these primary documents) ^{[1] [2]}. Congressional records and the National Archives would be the next places to search for authenticated signing logs.

Conclusion

Contemporary coverage establishes that autopen use by presidents is legally recognized and historically routine and that Trump has used the device — but the supplied sources do not provide a list of bills Trump signed with an autopen in 2020. For an itemized, document-level answer, obtain original White House signing logs or National Archives records; those primary sources are not included in the current reporting (not found in current reporting) ^{[1] [2]}.