Joe Biden believes the death penalty "must stop" at the federal level, except for those guilty of terrorism and mass murder motivated by hate, the White House said.

President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of 37 people on death row, which means those individuals will have their sentences changed from execution to life without parole, the White House said in a press release on Monday.

Recent polling shows support for the death penalty at a five-decade low, and half of the population thinks the death penalty is applied unfairly.

The outgoing and incoming U.S. presidents had different messages for the Christmas holiday on Wednesday, with Democrat Joe Biden urging Americans to reflect and unite, while Republican Donald Trump offered a holiday greeting and then took aim at his political opponents.