Trump Courts Libertarians, Pledges to Commute Silk Road Founder's Sentence

Former President Donald Trump addressed the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, making several pledges to win over skeptical party activists. Among other promises, Trump vowed to commute the prison sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the online drug-selling site Silk Road, and to protect cryptocurrencies by stopping President Biden's "crusade to crush crypto."

Former President Donald Trump made a concerted effort to woo Libertarian voters on Saturday by vowing to commute the prison sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the online drug-selling site Silk Road. Speaking before the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, D.C., Trump promised to grant clemency to Ulbricht, who is serving a life sentence for his involvement in the deaths of six people who purchased drugs on his website.

"If you vote for me, on day one I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, to a sentence of time served," Trump said, drawing the loudest cheers of the evening. "He’s already served 11 years. We’re going to get him home."

The move is seen as an attempt to win over skeptical Libertarian activists, many of whom held up signs that read: "FREE ROSS." During his presidency, Trump considered intervening to release Ulbricht but ultimately decided against the pardon.

In addition to his pledge on Ulbricht, Trump also promised to protect cryptocurrencies by halting President Biden's "crusade to crush crypto."

"We're going to stop it. I will ensure that the future of crypto and the future of Bitcoin will be made in the USA, not driven overseas," Trump said. "I will support the right of self-custody. To the nation's 50 million crypto holders, I say this: with your vote, I will keep [Senator] Elizabeth Warren and her goons away from your bitcoin. And I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency."

Trump's appearance at the convention is part of an ongoing effort to reach out to potential supporters in areas that are not traditionally Republican strongholds. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also addressed the convention on Friday, as both candidates attempt to tap into the growing Libertarian movement.

Ulbricht, now 40, was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison without the possibility of parole by a judge who cited six deaths that resulted from drugs bought on his website and five people he tried to have killed. He has been in prison since his arrest in 2013.

Trump's pledge to commute Ulbricht's sentence has been met with mixed reactions. Some Libertarians have welcomed the move as a step towards criminal justice reform, while others have expressed skepticism, arguing that Trump's motives may not be genuine and that he may be simply trying to curry favor with voters.

The Libertarian Party is a third-party political organization in the United States that advocates for individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and non-interventionism. In the 2020 presidential election, the Libertarian candidate received approximately 1.3 million votes, or about 1% of the total votes cast.