Ulbricht launched the Silk Road marketplace in 2011, which soon drew attention from US authorities for facilitating the sale of drugs and other illegal products.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested the Silk Road founder and took the platform offline in 2013. He is currently housed at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona.
In his first term as US president from 2017 to 2021, Trump did not commute Ulbricht’s sentence, despite pleas from advocates for the Silk Road founder after the Republican lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
However, speaking at the Libertarian Party’s National Convention in May, then-candidate Trump pledged to ensure Ulbricht’s freedom “on day one” if elected.