Donald Trump vowed to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the online illegal drug marketplace Silk Road, in a raucous speech to the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday evening.
“And if you vote for me, I will commute Ross Ulbricht’s sentence on day one,” the former president said, drawing cheers from the crowd shortly after mentioning his plans to pardon supporters who marched on January 6 stormed the Capitol. 2021.
Trump’s pledge came during a speech aimed at reaching out to libertarian voters, who support the legalization of drugs and have long lobbied for Ulbricht’s release. Ulbricht supporters distributed hundreds of black-and-white signs reading “Free Ross” to the crowd, and libertarians waved them manically in the moments after Trump’s announcement.
“It’s one of the things we wanted from his first term,” said Katherine Yeniscavich, a member of the party’s national committee.
“He wants libertarian voters, and if he agreed to release Ross, he would get a lot of votes,” she said before his speech.
Ulbricht has been in prison since 2013, and some libertarians say his case is an example of government overreach and the need for criminal justice reform. Ulbricht’s case was one of the top issues libertarians asked Trump to discuss before the convention — and it earned Trump his biggest applause of the night.
In another olive branch from the third party, Trump said he would put a libertarian in his Cabinet if elected, and that he would also put libertarians in “higher positions” in his administration.
But despite these promises, Trump was met with continued cheers and jeers from the crowd during his speech, suggesting that the promise to pardon Ulbricht may not be enough.
Billy Hunt, a Libertarian Party delegate from Rhode Island, said that while he appreciated Trump’s gesture, it would not change his vote.
“I’m glad he said that,” Hunt said. “But it doesn’t move the needle.”
