I’m not here to say “I told you so.”
In my Take from October 4, I did write that Donald Trump does not give a damn about Bitcoin, and in my Take from November 5 I wrote he just wants in on the crypto scam. But I didn’t mention Ross Ulbricht in either of these, largely because even I expected Trump to at least follow through on his promise to free Ross. It’s an easy promise to keep, without any real downside for Trump; after more than ten years in prison Ulbricht deserves to be free.
I didn’t really expect Trump to free Ross on day one of his presidency, however. Inauguration day is quite a busy day for a new president, I’m sure.
Having said that, it is what Trump himself said he would do. Of course Trump also said that he would have resolved the war in Ukraine by now — apparently they’re still fighting.
Trump is a bullshitter. He will just say whatever he wants or whatever people want to hear, with no regard for the truth. He probably has the most recorded lies out of any politician on earth: Fact checkers from The Washington Post have for example counted over 30,000 false or misleading claims during his first term as president alone.
Still, it is also true that Trump had a busy day yesterday. He signed 26 executive orders (a record amount for a first day president), and pardoned over 1500 of his supporters; those who stormed the US Capitol Building on January 6th four years ago. Yes, that means the QAnon Shaman walks free before Ross Ulbricht (H/T Trey Walsh)… but let’s just hope that Elon Musk is proven right in the next few days, and Ross will be freed too.
This article is a Take. Opinions expressed are entirely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
