Podcast Summary: Victor Davis Hanson — Biden’s Autopen Scandal Is the ‘Biggest Sham Perpetrated in My Lifetime’

Podcast: Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Host: Victor Davis Hanson (VDH), with Jack Fowler
Date: December 2, 2025
Produced by: The Daily Signal

Overview

In this episode, Victor Davis Hanson provides a wide-ranging, historically informed analysis of contemporary American politics and culture, focusing especially on what he calls the “autopen scandal” of the Biden administration—where key official acts and pardons were allegedly approved by mechanical proxy rather than by the president himself. Additional topics include the pitfalls of AI piracy and content theft, the decline of public manners in air travel, the perils of current immigration policy, and the consequences of Afghan resettlement in the U.S. Hanson brings a historian’s lens to bear, drawing connections between current events and broader trends in American society, citizenship, and governance.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. AI Piracy and Content Theft (02:54–09:18)

• VDH discusses the problem of intellectual property theft and the proliferation of fake AI-generated content using his likeness, voice, and name.
  • “There’s all sorts of things on the internet ... My body and my mouth is moving in a script that I didn’t write.” (03:29, VDH)
  • It is worse than plagiarism, as it does not just steal ideas but assigns false statements and views to living people for profit or influence.
  • He recounts an incident of a young podcaster who used unauthorized AI snippets to simulate Hanson’s presence and speech, leading to VDH refusing further participation.

2. The Biden “Autopen Scandal”: Executive Authority and Democratic Legitimacy (09:18–15:42; main thread)

• Prompted by a Donald Trump Truth Social post, Hanson analyzes the use of the autopen by Biden to sign official documents, pardons, and commutations.
  • Trump’s statement: “Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the autopen ... is hereby terminated and has no further force or effect ... The auto pen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President.” (09:18, quoted by Jack Fowler)
  • Historical parallel: Only comparable precedent is Woodrow Wilson’s incapacitation during his presidency, but the Biden case is both more extensive and more deliberate.
  • VDH’s central charge: Biden was used as a “moderate veneer” by the Democratic Party to enact “the most radical agenda ... more radical than the New Deal.”
  • “This was the biggest sham perpetrated on the American people in my lifetime. It makes Watergate look like a joke. They had someone who completely was a zombie and didn’t know where he was or what he was saying. And they used him as a prop...” (14:14, VDH)
  • Questions the retroactive legality of executive orders and pardons signed this way, raising potential constitutional crises and complex legal disputes.

3. Pardon Abuse and Lack of Transparency (15:42–17:33)

• Fowler highlights the case of Adrian Peeler, an inmate released by an autopen-signed commutation, questioning who and what interests are behind such decisions.
  • The duo speculate that similar abuses will continue unless investigated and publicized, likening these acts to past government overreaches and deceptions (e.g., “Russian collusion,” “Mar-A-Lago raid”).

4. The “Permanent Distraction” Tactic in Politics (17:47–23:10)

• VDH details a pattern where attention is repeatedly redirected from policy failures to scandals or emergencies—(e.g., Epstein files, Russia “collusion,” ICE protests).
  • “It was a distraction ... The people in the Trump administration were not able to keep their eye on the prize. It’s the economy, stupid. It really is.” (21:59, VDH)
  • Argues that these distractions mask real issues like inflation, economic decline, and public safety.

5. The Decline of Civility in Air Travel (25:38–34:41)

• Transitioning from policy to cultural malaise, VDH and Fowler discuss the decay of etiquette in airports and airplanes, responding to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s plea for public “dignity” while traveling.
  • Hanson’s anecdotes (26:25–33:00):
    • Unwell, inconsiderate seatmates (“I just took my temperature, it’s only 102. I think I can get home…” – 26:25, VDH)
    • Service animals, emotional support animals, and general disorder
    • Outrageous passenger behaviors and the lack of enforcement
    • Abuse and manipulation of airline disability boarding
    • Deterioration of airline policy and staff authority post-COVID
  • “I got to the point that I would say one out of two flights, I was in danger ... Something about COVID or afterwards, there were too many people. Then the connections, I was missing 40% of them.” (33:00, VDH)

6. Immigration Policy: Mass Entry and Decline of Assimilation (36:47–45:57)

• Hanson expresses increasing skepticism about the viability of both illegal and mass legal immigration, referencing problematic assimilation and a fraying melting-pot model.
  • Discusses Somali and Afghan resettlement (noting crime and anti-American sentiment in enclaves like Minnesota)
  • Notes growing driver’s license fraud, unqualified truck drivers, and everyday hazards as symbols of failed integration.
  • “When you have the host that will not acculturate or integrate people, and you add the force multiplier that they’re illegal, they don’t know English, they don’t have skills, they’re impoverished … you have Jasmine Crockett saying … [letting in] 7,500 Africaners … that supposedly is racist.” (39:57, VDH)

7. The Afghan Shooter Case, Vetting, and Asylum Priorities (41:45–63:21)

• Analysis of the D.C. shooting perpetrated by an Afghan immigrant given priority housing after “vetting” deemed inadequate.
  • The attacker was subsidized ahead of U.S. citizens, which VDH calls “DEI ideology in action.”
  • “He was reportedly saying ‘Allahu Akbar’… The media didn’t really report the whole story… The implication was that he was roughed up, but he took off his clothes. Why he took off his clothes, I don’t know… but there was no full reporting.” (41:45–44:30, VDH)
  • Quotes a CNN Justice report noting “struggle to try to make sure that the vetting was appropriate,” with fake backgrounds bought from brokers. (56:16–58:32)
  • “There’s no accountability. ... DEI is embedded in immigration ... It's an ideology and ideologies can't be questioned.” (58:32–62:00, VDH)

8. Broader Consequences: Afghan Pullout and Policy Catastrophe (63:49–66:14)

• Reflecting on the broader disaster of the Biden administration’s Afghan withdrawal
  • “We built a billion-dollar embassy, left 50 billion in arms, and abandoned the secure Bagram airbase ... The withdrawal was done for a political photo-op by 9/11.” (63:49–66:14, VDH)

9. Citizenship Devalued & Melting Pot in Crisis (68:22–73:57)

• Observations on the erosion of the privileges and obligations distinguishing American citizenship from non-citizen status.
  • Undocumented immigrants gaining prompt access to subsidized housing and even offices; citizens face years-long waiting lists.
  • “I went through a checklist ... The only unique privilege left for citizens is (maybe) voting and office holding — and even that is eroding.” (68:22–70:07, VDH)
  • Critique of new generations lacking historical and civic knowledge: “They don’t know anything ... A is for Anxiety [in schoolbooks], not Apple.” (73:57, VDH)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Biden’s suitability for office and the autopen scandal:
  “They had somebody who completely was a zombie ... and they used him as a prop to ... initiate and advance a radical agenda.” (14:14, VDH)
• On Travel Decay:
  “I used to love flying when it was so exciting. ... Last summer was the first summer I was home in 25 years. ... No more.” (34:41, VDH)
• On Assimilation:
  “Why would you come here and leave these countries and then have these ethnic food or ethnic assemblages, but you wouldn’t put an American flag here? Why would you do that?” (49:08, VDH)
• On the lack of distinction between citizens and non-citizens:
  “I don’t think there’s any advantage necessarily ... to be a citizen. And more importantly, we privilege people who are not citizens.” (68:22, VDH)
• On the current civic crisis:
  “The citizen ... is part of an educational system that’s therapeutic ... They don’t know anything.” (73:57, VDH)

Key Timestamps

• 02:54 – VDH recounts AI content theft and the rise of deepfake reruns.
• 09:18 – Trump’s Truth Social statement on the autopen; VDH’s explosive reaction.
• 14:14 – “This was the biggest sham perpetrated on the American people in my lifetime.”
• 25:38 – On the collapse of etiquette and standards in air travel.
• 36:47 – On failed immigration policy and assimilation.
• 41:45 – DC Afghan shooter, media silence, and vetting failures.
• 58:32 – Governmental lack of accountability and DEI’s influence on immigration.
• 63:49 – Biden’s Afghan pullout as catastrophic historic event.
• 68:22 – Citizens lose ground to non-citizens in social support and privilege.
• 73:57 – Decline of basic historical and civic education in schools.

Tone and Style

The conversation is direct, often passionate, and rich in historical references. Hanson’s tone mixes a sense of urgency, disbelief, and occasional wry humor. There is an undercurrent of nostalgia for lost standards and civic values, but the main mood is critical and analytical—especially toward the Biden administration’s legitimacy and policy agenda.

For Further Listening

• Visit VDH’s site victorhanson.com for more columns and exclusive podcasts.
• Fowler’s free newsletter: civilthoughts.com for recommended reads.

This episode offers a sweeping indictment of current political leadership, technological threats to authorship, the breakdown of public order and decorum, and the fading value of American citizenship—all viewed through the historian’s lens of Victor Davis Hanson.