U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will instruct his Justice Department to “vigorously pursue” the death penalty to protect Americans from “brutal rapists, murderers and monsters” after taking office on January 20.

Trump's statement, posted on his Truth Social network, was in response to President Joe Biden's announcement Monday that he commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates, commuting them to life without parole.

“As soon as I take office, I will direct the Department of Justice to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from brutal rapists, murderers and monsters,” Trump said.

Trump resumed federal executions during his first presidential term from 2017 to 2021 after a nearly 20-year hiatus, Reuters writes.

Biden, who ran for president while opposing the death penalty, suspended federal executions after taking office in January 2021.