Trump Shows Xi a Photo of the ‘Autopen’ in White House Tour; Xi Laughs

# What happened

During a White House tour for Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Donald Trump stopped to show a portrait in the Presidential Walk of Fame that replaces President Joe Biden's likeness with an image of an autopen signature. Video of the moment shows Xi laughing audibly after Trump points to the picture. Several aides in the room also laugh and Trump pats Xi on the arm.

The autopen image was previously placed in the White House gallery by the Trump administration last year. It has been used by Trump and his allies to criticize the Biden administration, linking the image to allegations that aides relied on an autopen device to sign documents on Biden's behalf.

# How the moment was shared publicly

# The political context: the House Oversight report

In October 2025, the House Oversight Committee released a report titled "The Biden Autopen Presidency: Decline, Delusion, and Deception in the White House." The report, led by Oversight GOP Committee Chairman James Comer, alleged that aides used an autopen in ways that bypassed presidential review and argued for further investigation by the Department of Justice and medical review by the D.C. Board of Medicine. The report cited depositions and transcribed interviews with Biden aides.

# Legal outcomes mentioned in reporting

Despite the Oversight Committee's report and political pressure, reporting indicates that no criminal charges were filed in connection with the autopen allegations. The Department of Justice ultimately did not build a case and the matter was shelved earlier in 2026.

The broader reporting also references a separate special counsel investigation into Biden's handling of classified materials. Special Counsel Robert Hur wrote that it would be difficult to secure a conviction because many jurors would view Biden as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," though the investigation found evidence of willful retention and disclosure of classified documents.

# Why the moment matters to audiences

The interaction between two world leaders became a political talking point because it combined a diplomatic event with a domestic political jab. The visual of an autopen image in an official White House space, and the public reaction to it, provided a concise, shareable moment that reinforced arguments made in the Oversight Committee's report and allowed the Trump White House to dramatize those claims during a high-profile visit.

# What the public saw

Short-form video shows Trump pointing to the autopen image, Xi laughing, and aides reacting. The footage was shared directly by White House channels, ensuring rapid distribution on social platforms and coverage by multiple outlets.

# Bottom line

The exchange is a symbolic moment in a larger political dispute over claims that Biden aides used an autopen to sign official documents. Congressional investigators produced a report alleging improper use and calling for accountability, but the Department of Justice did not press criminal charges on the issue as of the reporting cited here.