Donald Trump has made multiple public promises to free Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road marketplace. On Oct. 2, 2024, Trump reiterated that he would do this on Truth Social. The former U.S. president shared an image of Ulbricht explaining that he was starting his 12th year in jail. In 2015, Ulbricht was sentenced to double life imprisonment plus 40 years without the possibility of parole, a sentence that has been widely criticized as disproportionately harsh.

In May 2024, during a speech at the Libertarian National Convention, Trump pledged to commute Ulbricht’s sentence on his first day in office if elected president. Trump also addressed Ulbricht’s situation during his keynote speech at the Bitcoin Conference in July 2024.

In the latest Truth Social Post, Trump states:

I WILL SAVE ROSS ULBRICHT!

Alongside the Truth Social post, his son, Donald Trump Jr., shared his own message about Ross Ulbricht on X, writing, “Free Ross!!!!!”

A petition on Change.org, with more than 600,000 signatures, is also urging the U.S. president to commute Ulbricht’s sentence. Several other politicians have voiced their opposition to the sentence, including U.S. Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky, son of Ron Paul.

“Like so many others, I am shocked by the harsh sentence imposed on this first-time offender…Mr. Ulbricht’s sentence is disproportionate to his crimes,” Paul said.

Trump’s repeated pledges to commute Ulbricht’s sentence, alongside growing public and political support, suggest that the Silk Road founder’s case will remain a pivotal issue during and after the 2024 election. While Ulbricht’s fate remains uncertain, the vocal backing from influential figures and the large petition continue to place pressure on the current administration to revisit his controversial sentence.