Trump’s June 4 autopen stunt kicks off the summer of grievance

Edition · June 4, 2025

Trump’s June 4 autopen stunt kicks off the summer of grievance

A backfill edition for June 4, 2025: the day Trump used the White House to relitigate Joe Biden’s signatures, while the broader day’s paper trail showed a presidency still happier chasing old enemies than solving current problems.

June 4, 2025 gave us a clean example of Trump-world priorities: a presidential memorandum aimed at Biden’s use of an autopen, plus a pile of familiar culture-war theater dressed up as governing. The autopen move was the main event because it invited legal skepticism, triggered instant backlash, and reinforced the idea that Trump’s White House was more interested in weaponized retrospection than in actual stewardship. Other items that day mostly reinforced the same pattern rather than competing with it. This edition centers on the strongest documented screwup with the clearest fallout.

Closing take

The through-line on June 4 was simple: when Trump had the chance to spend presidential capital, he spent it on grievance and spectacle. That may thrill the loyalists, but it also hands critics an easy argument that the administration is still governed by old grudges and bad instincts. The result is less governing than trolling with letterhead.

Ranked by how bad the fuckup was

5 stars means maximum fallout. 1 star means a smaller self-own.

Story

Trump’s autopen crusade against Biden looks like a revenge memo, not governance

Revenge memo Confidence 4/5

★★★★☆Fuckup rating 4/5 Serious fuckup

Trump signed off on a memorandum ordering an investigation into whether Biden aides used an autopen to conceal cognitive decline and unlawfully exercise presidential power. The White House framed it as a grave constitutional question, but the move immediately landed like a partisan fishing expedition built on insinuation more than evidence. The result was a familiar Trump-world pattern: maximal drama, minimal proof, and an invitation for critics to call it a stunt.

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Story

The White House leans into an autopen theory that invites legal and political blowback

Officialized theory Confidence 4/5

★★★☆☆Fuckup rating 3/5 Major mess

The administration did not just float doubts about Biden’s signature process; it amplified them through official messaging that treated a disputed theory like a scandal already proven. That is exactly the sort of overreach that hands opponents a clean rebuttal and raises the likelihood that the probe becomes more embarrassing than consequential. Even supporters who dislike Biden may wonder why a White House is spending its day on a procedural ghost hunt.

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