Trump pledges support for convicted ‘silk road’s’ Ross Ulbricht

Former US President Donald Trump plans to support Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the ‘Silk Road’.

Ulbricht was sentenced to life imprisonment for running the Silk Road in 2015. From 2011 to 2013, the marketplace allowed users to purchase illegal drugs and hacking tools using Bitcoin and other virtual currencies.

Ulbricht is currently serving a life sentence for his role in operating the platform.

Trump has pledged to help Ulbricht as part of a campaign to appeal to Libertarian voters who have long advocated for Ulbricht’s release and see his case as an example of government overreach.

The four-time impeached GOP candidate’s newfound support for all things cryptocurrency industry marks a shift from his previous skepticism.

“I am very positive and open-minded towards cryptocurrency companies and everything related to this new and growing industry. “Our country must be a leader in its field, there is no second place,” he said.

Donald Trump, former US President

In a 2021 interview with Fox Business, Trump, who is currently awaiting verdict in a hush-hush criminal case, defended the dominance of the US dollar and called for strict regulation of digital currencies.

However, following Trump’s recent vocal support for the cryptocurrency industry, many Trump-themed meme coins have seen a surge in value.

Cryptocurrencies such as the “MAGA” token are on the rise as investors think a Trump presidency could benefit the crypto industry.

In another development, crypto investors who purchased Trump’s “Mugshot Edition” non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were offered the chance to dine with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

This event further solidified Trump’s connections to the crypto community and highlighted his desire to engage directly with industry participants.

The dinner was part of the perks offered to Trump-branded NFT holders and included a mugshot of Trump surrendering at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia. The move was seen as a strategic effort by Trump to strengthen his support among crypto-savvy voters.

Additionally, Trump has vowed to block the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), which appeals to crypto enthusiasts who value decentralization and autonomy.

Trump’s bullish approach to cryptocurrency dovetails with his campaign’s decision to accept cryptocurrency donations, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin and other digital assets.

The move makes Trump the first major party candidate to welcome crypto donations, although independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been accepting Bitcoin donations for months.

Trump and Ulbricht

During a speech at the Libertarian National Convention, Trump promised to commute Ulbricht’s sentence to time served if he is re-elected, drawing thunderous applause from the audience.

Ulbricht’s case has become a high-profile case among self-described libertarians. Many argue that his sentence was too harsh and that he was the victim of excessive government investigation.

Ulbricht’s appeal has been ongoing since 2016. His legal team argued that the prosecution had illegally withheld evidence and that his sentence was unreasonable in terms of procedure and substance.

Despite all these efforts, Ulbricht’s conviction and sentence were upheld by the courts and he remains in prison.

Trump’s promise to commute Ulbricht’s sentence underscores a calculated attempt to win over what he sees as a key demographic in the upcoming US presidential election.