In brief
- In 2025, President Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, as well as BitMEX’s and Binance’s founders, respectively.
- The clemency fulfilled part of his 2024 campaign promise to end what he called the “war on crypto.”
- Critics allege political favoritism and ties between the pardons and Trump family ventures.
Donald Trump used his pardon power to reshape the federal approach to crypto enforcement in 2025, clearing several of the most high-profile defendants the industry has had to date. The moves signaled a political shift in Washington and raised questions about how the United States would police digital assets during Trump’s second term.
“Politics drove this case,” Trump said on Truth Social while announcing his first…
Jan 01 2026
