In his first term as US president from 2017 to 2021, Trump did not commute Ulbricht’s sentence, despite pleas from advocates for the Silk Road founder after the Republican lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
However, speaking at the Libertarian Party’s National Convention in May, then-candidate Trump pledged to ensure Ulbricht’s freedom “on day one” if elected.
Many crypto and blockchain advocates have been calling for any US president to pardon Ulbricht since his conviction, but some were skeptical that Trump would keep his promise to the Silk Road founder.
The Republican reiterated his pledge in a pre-election social media post, but PolitiFact reported in 2020 that Trump only kept or partially kept roughly 27% of campaign promises during his first three years at the White House.
“I don’t trust Trump,” said Franklin in a Nov. 12 reply to Ulbricht’s X post. “He already had 4 years to free you but dropped the ball.”
Among Trump’s other campaign promises to the crypto industry included firing Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler - which he may not be able to do without cause - having all Bitcoin “made in the USA,” and blocking the US government from developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC).
During his first term, Trump said that BTC was “not money” and based on “thin air.”
Original Link: Zerohedge.com