politics

The major reason Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht was to fulfill a promise he made to the Libertarian Party and the Bitcoin community. Trump wanted to honor Ulbricht's mother, Lyn Ulbricht, and the Libertarian Movement, which had strongly supported him. He also criticized the prosecution and sentencing, calling it "ridiculous" and suggesting that the government overreached in their case against Ulbricht.

Silk Road was a digital black market symbolizing illicit online activity. The name was likely chosen ironically to evoke "trade beyond borders," albeit illegally.

Linking Ulbricht’s pardon purely to political favors for Libertarians and the Bitcoin community oversimplifies a complex case. While there may have been political motives, reducing it to this narrative ignores the broader criticism of his sentencing.