SUMMARY
On January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road marketplace, who had been serving a life sentence since 2015. Trump, posting on Truth Social, called Ulbricht's sentence "ridiculous" and criticized the government’s handling of the case, describing it as an example of systemic overreach. Trump had previously promised to assist Ulbricht during a speech at the Libertarian Party National Convention in May 2024, where his stance resonated with activists advocating for criminal justice reform and opposing harsh drug policies. Silk Road, launched in 2011, used cryptocurrency to facilitate anonymous transactions, challenging conventional financial systems. Libertarians and tech advocates argue Ulbricht’s punishment was excessive, with many viewing him as a scapegoat for systemic failures in the war on drugs. Supporters cite his commitment to principles of personal freedom and decentralized systems.
