Trump Promises to Pardon Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht if Re-Elected

During a recent speech at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, D.C., former U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to pardon Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road online marketplace, if he is re-elected. Trump stated, “He’s already served 11 years, we’re going to bring him home.” He emphasized that, if elected, on his first day in office he would commute Ulbricht’s life sentence to time served.

Trump’s announcement was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience, many of whom held signs reading “Free Ross.”

Trump’s Support for Cryptocurrency and Criticism of Biden

Just hours before his speech, Trump made another statement on Truth Social, the social network launched by Trump Media & Technology Group in 2022. He wrote, “I am very positive and open-minded to cryptocurrency companies and everything related to this new and rapidly growing industry. Our country must be the leader in this field. There can be no second place.” Trump also criticized President Joe Biden, claiming that Biden “wants [the crypto industry] to die a slow and painful death, but with me, that will never happen!”

At the same convention, Trump promised to “end Joe Biden’s crusade to destroy crypto.”

Background on Ross Ulbricht and Silk Road

Ross Ulbricht was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison for his role as the creator of Silk Road, a notorious online marketplace. The charges included drug trafficking, hacking, dealing in false documents, and money laundering. Ulbricht received two life sentences plus 40 years, effectively ensuring he would never be eligible for parole.

Silk Road, which launched in 2011 and was shut down in 2013, operated on the dark web and is considered one of the first real-world uses of Bitcoin. Since his arrest and sentencing, Ulbricht has become a symbol for many in the crypto community and among libertarians, who argue that his punishment was excessive and violated his constitutional rights. In 2018, the Libertarian Party called on then-President Trump to pardon Ulbricht.