Following President Trump's inauguration, where bitcoin was not mentioned, and the absence of crypto in his first batch of executive orders, bettors on Polymarket are confident that a pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, is forthcoming. A contract on Polymarket inquiring about Trump's pardons within his first 100 days surged to 99% after posts from Elon Musk and Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, indicated that Ulbricht's pardon was in progress. Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life without parole in 2015 for his role in operating the Silk Road marketplace, a pioneer in the use of the dark web, may see his sentence commuted. Trump had previously pledged to commute Ulbricht's sentence during a campaign stop, stating, 'If you vote for me, on Day 1, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to a sentence of time served.' Supporters argue that Ulbricht's sentence was excessively long for the crime committed.
Other figures, such as Roger Ver, an early bitcoin investor and BCH advocate indicted for tax fraud, are also predicted to receive pardons, with the market giving it a 32% chance within the first 100 days. Despite cryptocurrency's significant role in Trump's campaign, the likelihood of an executive order regarding digital assets in the first week is only 43%, according to Polymarket bettors.