Outgoing lame-duck President Joe Biden, with less than a month left in his term, controversially commuted the death sentences of dozens of federal death row inmates this week, relegating them to life in prison without parole for their heinous crimes.

Incoming President-elect Donald Trump was quite displeased with that development and vowed to "vigorously pursue" death penalty sentences against "violent" criminals once his administration begins, Bloomberg News reported.

That would only apply to future federal prosecutions, however, as it doesn't appear that Trump can reverse Biden's grant of clemency to the convicted murderers he already reprieved.

Biden commutes death sentences

"Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole," President Biden announced on Monday. "These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder."

"Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss," he continued.

"But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level," Biden added. "In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted."

"As soon as I am inaugurated ..."

In response to that news, President-elect Trump wrote in a Tuesday morning Truth Social post, "Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country."

"When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!" he added.

Just a few hours later, Trump said in a follow-up post, "As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters."

The former and future president added, "We will be a Nation of Law and Order again!"

Biden stopped federal executions while Trump wants to expand them

According to Axios, then-President Trump oversaw a "spree of executions" during his first term after he instructed his Department of Justice in 2019 to resume carrying out federal death sentences following a 16-year hiatus in executions.

A total of 13 death row inmates were executed under Trump, and he has previously discussed his desire to expand the federal death sentence to apply to more types of particularly heinous crimes, including drug dealing.

President Biden, on the other hand, has not overseen any federal executions during his term and even imposed an indeterminate moratorium on the use of the death sentence at the federal level in 2021.

It is a safe bet that, rather soon after he returns to the White House, Trump will end Biden's moratorium and the few remaining federal death row inmates, plus any new additions in the coming years, will be fast-tracked toward an execution as quickly as the laws will allow.