First lady Melania Trump will speak on Capitol Hill Monday for the first time since returning to the White House, participating in a roundtable with lawmakers from both chambers of Congress focused on punishing online abuse and revenge pornography.
First lady Melania Trump spoke on Capitol Hill Monday for the first time since returning to the White House, participating in a roundtable with lawmakers from both chambers of Congress focused on punishing online abuse and revenge pornography.
“I am here with you today with a common goal – to protect our youth from online harm,” Melania Trump said Monday. “The widespread presence of abusive behavior in the digital domain affects the daily lives of our children, families and communities.”
“Addressing this issue is essential for fostering a safe and supportive environment for our young people,” she said. “I hope today’s roundtable builds awareness of the harm caused by nonconsensual intimate imagery and eventually the approval of the Take it Down Act in Congress.”
The Take it Down Act is a bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that would make it a federal crime to publish, or threaten to publish, nonconsensual intimate imagery, including “digital forgeries” crafted by artificial intelligence.
Trump was joined by California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, alongside Republicans such as Cruz, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Kevin Hern, R-Okla.
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The bill also would require social media companies and similar websites to put procedures in place to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from the victim.
The bill would protect victims of digital exploitation and hold internet platforms accountable by requiring them to remove such imagery.
Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., and Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., introduced the legislation in the House in January. That measure is under consideration in the House Energy and Commerce Committees before consideration on the House floor.
“If you’re a victim of revenge porn or AI generated explicit imagery, your life changes forever,” Cruz said during the roundtable. “Most likely you’ve been targeted by someone you know, and you’re likely struggling to have that material removed from the internet. Disturbingly, many of these victims are teenagers at American high schools who are facing a surge in I generated sexual images hundreds of teens, often targeted by their own classmates, are enduring senseless psychological harm.”
“The Take It Down Act empowers victims across the entire United States,” he continued. “It makes it a felony for these deviants to publish any non-consensual intimate images, including fake, lifelike pornographic images of real people.”
The law also would require penalties of up to three years in prison for sharing nonconsensual intimate images — authentic or AI-generated — involving minors and two years in prison for those images involving adults. It also would require penalties of up to two and a half years in prison for threat offenses involving minors, and one and a half years in prison for threats involving adults.
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AI-generated images known as “deepfakes” often involve editing videos or photos of people to make them look like someone else by using artifical intelligence. Deepfakes hit the public’s radar in 2017 after a Reddit user posted realistic-looking pornography of celebrities to the platform, opening the floodgates to users employing AI to make images look more convincing and widely shared in the following years.
“In today’s AI-driven world, the threat of privacy breaches is alarmingly high,” Trump explained. “As organizations harness the power of our data, the risk of unauthorized access and misuses of personal information escalates. We must prioritize robust security measures and uphold strict ethical standards to protect individual privacy.”
Nearly every U.S. state has a law protecting people from nonconsensual intimate image violations, but the laws vary in classification of crime and penalty.
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The event Monday is the first where the first lady delivered public remarks since President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
Melania Trump was joined on Monday by a 15-year-old girl whose peers used AI to create non-consensual imagery of the young girl and spread them across social media, the first lady explained.
“It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes,” Trump said. “This toxic environment can be severely damaging. We must prioritize their well-being by equipping them with the support and tools necessary to navigate this hostile digital landscape. Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themselves freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm.”
During the first Trump administration, Melania Trump hosted virtual roundtables on foster care as part of her “Be Best” initiative and focused on strengthening the child welfare system. The “Be Best” initiative also focused on online safety.
“As first lady, my commitment to the ‘Be Best’ initiative underscores the importance of online safety. In an era where digital interactions are integral to daily life, it is imperative that we safeguard children from mean-spirited and hurtful online behavior,” she said.
During her husband’s first term as president, she also worked with members of Congress on legislation that secured funding for grants awarded to youth and young adults currently or formerly in foster care to help pay for college, career school or training. The bill ultimately was signed by the president in December 2020.
Trump gave a nod to Democratic Sen. Klobuchar and Republican Sen. Cruz for their bipartisan support of the bill, while remarking she was let down by the lack of additional support from Democrats.
“I must admit, however, I expected to see more Democrat leaders with us here today to address this serious issue,” she said. “Surely as adults, we can prioritize America’s children ahead of partisan politics. I urge Congress to prioritize the passage of the Take It Down Act. This legislation is essential for addressing the growing concerns related to online safety, protecting individual rights, and promoting a healthier digital environment.”
“Congress can take an important step toward ensuring accountability and fostering responsible online behavior,” she continued. “The Take It Down Act represents a powerful step toward justice, healing and unity.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
