President Joe Biden's controversial pardon of his son Hunter, after swearing repeatedly that he wouldn't do so, has garnered mixed reactions even among many Democrats.

It even led Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) to suggest that if Hunter Biden deserves a pardon, so too does President-elect Donald Trump, as both were subjected to "politically motivated" prosecutions, according to The Hill.

Yet, while Biden could similarly preemptively pardon his predecessor and successor in office of all possible future federal charges, he cannot clear Trump of his felony conviction in New York, as presidential clemency only applies at the federal level and not for state-level crimes.

Fetterman thinks a "pardon is appropriate" for both Hunter Biden and Trump

On Thursday, Sen. Fetterman appeared on ABC's "The View" and spoke with the show's co-host about a variety of topics that included President Biden's broadly sweeping pardon of his convicted felon son Hunter, which not only cleared him of his gun and tax convictions but also all known and unknown federal offenses over an 11-year period.

"I think that it’s undeniable that the case against Hunter Biden was really politically motivated but I also think it’s true that the trial in New York for Trump was political as well, too," Fetterman told co-host Joy Behar of President-elect Trump's conviction for falsifying business records in the Empire State in relation to 2016 "hush money" payments to silence allegations of infidelity.

"In both cases I think a pardon is appropriate, and I really think collectively that America’s confidence in these types of institutions have been damaged by these kinds of cases, and we cannot allow these types of institutions to be weaponized against our political opponents," he continued.

According to the New York Post, the Pennsylvania senator added, "Both of those trials were clearly politically motivated and those kinds of charges would have never been brought unless one side realized they could weaponize that."

Biden's preemptive pardons

On Sunday, despite repeatedly stating that he wouldn't intervene in his son's criminal cases, President Biden nonetheless issued a "full and unconditional pardon" for his son Hunter that covered all federal offenses that "he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024."

That includes his convictions earlier this year in Delaware on a trio of federal gun felonies for lying about his illicit drug addiction on a federal gun purchase form and in California on a mix of felony and misdemeanor tax law violations for failing to properly file and pay more than $1.2 million in taxes owed.

Biden likely isn't finished there, though, in terms of controversial pardons on his way out the door, as talk is growing of him issuing a plethora of preemptive pardons for a number of current and former officials, including government workers and elected members of Congress.

The push for those preemptive pardons for known and unknown alleged crimes over an indeterminate period is driven by a fear among some that the incoming Trump administration may seek retribution in the form of investigations and indictments against his political opponents.

Trump's New York conviction would have to be pardoned by Gov. Hochul

President Biden could, in a magnanimous gesture, offer a preemptive pardon to his rival, President-elect Trump, that would clear him of any alleged federal crimes that may have been committed during or after his first term in office, but Biden cannot pardon Trump of his "hush money" conviction in New York or pending racketeering and election interference charges in Georgia.

For Trump to be cleared of the New York conviction, that pardon would have to be issued by Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, according to News12.

Hochul had previously indicated that she was not inclined to pardon the former president but did suggest that she might reassess her stance depending upon how the 2024 election turned out and what it might mean for her own aspiration for re-election in 2026.