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Donald Trump has pledged his support for Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht while pushing crypto project World Liberty Financial.
Just weeks away from the US presidential election, Trump is pulling out all the stops to appeal to degens. Responding to Ulbricht's post about starting his twelfth year in prison, Trump stated he would "SAVE ROSS ULBRICHT" on Truth Social.
This isn't the first time Trump has vowed to help Ulbricht. Speaking at the Libertarian National Convention in May, Trump told the audience, "If you vote for me, on Day One, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht."
Ulbricht is serving a double life sentence after being convicted for illegal activities tied to Silk Road, which used Bitcoin for transactions to maintain anonymity, including:
- Conspiracy to commit money laundering
- Conspiracy to commit computer hacking
- Conspiracy to traffic narcotics (which carried the harshest penalties)
- Operating a criminal enterprise
The United States has since been pursuing the seizure of over $1 billion worth of Bitcoin that was stolen from Silk Road.
Blockhead
Meanwhile, Trump has been heavily promoting World Liberty Financial - the crypto project he backed.
"I promised to Make America Great Again, this time with crypto. @WorldLibertyFi is planning to help make America the crypto capital of the world!" Trump tweeted on Monday, declaring that "The whitelist for eligible persons is officially open – this is your chance to be part of this historic moment."
I promised to Make America Great Again, this time with crypto. @WorldLibertyFi is planning to help make America the crypto capital of the world! The whitelist for eligible persons is officially open – this is your chance to be part of this historic moment. Join:…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2024
World Liberty Financial has since said that its whitelist has had "thousands" sign up since going live on Monday.
"Our whitelist is already a massive success! Thousands of people have joined, and we’re just getting started. Don’t miss your chance to be part of something revolutionary," the project posted on X.
Our whitelist is already a massive success! Thousands of people have joined, and we’re just getting started. Don’t miss your chance to be part of something revolutionary. https://t.co/SG2ui5XCyB pic.twitter.com/ZdLsqZ8eyH
— WLFI (@worldlibertyfi) October 1, 2024
According to World Liberty Financial's website, "DT Marks DEFI, LLC and its affiliates including Donald J. Trump and his family members has or may receive tokens from World Liberty Financial, and will be entitled to receive significant fees for services provided to World Liberty Financial, which amount cannot yet be determined."
The project opened its KYC verification on Monday, stating "In the US, this information is only intended to be available to persons who have also been verified as accredited investors."
Blockhead
World Liberty Financial previously said it would sell a non-transferable governance token called WLFI. The token will be distributed as 63% sold to the public, 17% for user rewards, and 20% for team compensation.
