As Donald Trump takes charge for the next term at The White House, everyone is closely watching the decision to free Silk Road marketplace founder Ross Ulbricht. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who’s been closely associated with the Trump team has confirmed the decision on the same. “Ross will be freed too,” said Musk in a response to a post on a social media platform.
Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht To Be Out of Prison Soon
Silk Road’s Ross Ulbricht has yet to receive an official communication from Donald Trump for lifting his prison sentence. Back during his presidential campaign last year, Trump stated: “If you vote for me, on day one, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht”.
As Trump signed several executive orders at the Oval Office after the inauguration ceremony, everyone is waiting for Trump to pardon Ulbricht after 11 years in prison. Trump’s close associate and tech billionaire Elon Musk has confirmed the Silk Road founder’s release.
Ross will be freed too
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2025
Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), announced that Ross Ulbricht is likely to receive a presidential pardon within the next 24 to 48 hours. In a message on the X platform, McArdle wrote:
“Pres. Trump’s staff just confirmed to me Ross’s pardon will be issued late tonight or tomorrow morning”.
Elon Musk also confirmed the same in a recent X post response, which has further fueled market optimism. Notably, as per Ross Ulbricht’s post on X last May 2024, Trump will “commute” the sentence for the Silk Road founder.
This means that the severity of the punishment or the prison term would be reduced. Thus, it will be interesting to see whether Trump takes a step further to pardon the sentence, meaning complete forgiveness.
No Crypto Executive Order On Day 1?
While the broader crypto industry had high hopes from President Donald Trump of having a crypto executive order on the first day, there’s no such development so far. There have been mixed reactions to this development.
Anonymous crypto handle that goes by the name “Flood” noted: “NO ROSS PARDON, NO LEGALIZATION OF PERPETUAL SWAPS AND NO CRYPTO EXECUTIVE ORDER HAVE WE BEEN BAMBOOZLED BY THE TRUMP CRIME FAMILY?”. However, other experts have asked the industry to maintain patience for the same. Sharing his thoughts on the same, popular crypto analyst Miles Deutscher highlighted positive developments surrounding Ross Ulbricht’s pardon and said:
“Tbh, it was unlikely Trump was going to mention crypto in his speech anyway. What matters is what happens over the coming days. There are already reports of pardoning Ross Ulbricht + and an executive order to allow banks to more easily hold digital assets. Patience”.
TRUMP Meme Coin Tanks 40%
Following the January 20 inauguration, the Official Trump (TRUMP) meme coin has collapsed 40% dropping to $32 as of press time. Similarly, the Official Melania Meme (MELANIA) is down by 60%, a day after its launch.
The launch of meme coins by the Trump family has received severe criticism from several experts, including some from the crypto industry. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has voiced criticism of the TRUMP meme coin, labeling it overly speculative. Cuban expressed concerns about the token’s potential to harm cryptocurrency credibility and exacerbate regulatory challenges for the broader market
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