OAN Staff Abril Elfi
3:50 PM – Monday, March 3, 2025
First Lady Melania Trump has made an appearance at Capitol Hill to push a bill combating revenge porn and deep fake images.
On Monday, Melania spoke at Capitol Hill about the horrors of artificial-intelligence-powered deep fake pornographic images that have swirled online. She also called out Democrats for not being more publicly supportive of the proposed Take It Down Act.
“It’s heartbreaking to witness some teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content,” the first lady, 54, said during the panel session with lawmakers.
“I was heartened to learn that [GOP] Senator [Ted] Cruz [of Texas] and [Dem] Senator [Amy] Klobuchar [of Minnesota] united to prioritize this fundamental matter,” she said. “I must admit, however, I expected to see more Democrat[ic] leaders with us here today to address this serious issue.”
“Surely as adults, we can prioritize American children ahead of partisan politics,” she continued.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) first introduced the Take It Down Act, which would require websites that feature user-generated content to have a “notice and takedown process” for deep fake porn.
This act would give websites and social media platforms two days to take down such content after being informed about it by a victim. The legislation also enhances protections for victims who have had sexual images shared without their consent.
Those who share sexually explicit non consensual images, including both authentic and AI-generated ones, could face up to three years behind bars if the material is of a minor and two years if the victim is an adult.
“By advocating this bill, Congress can take an important step towards ensuring accountability and fostering responsibly online behavior,” Melania said. “The Take It Down Act represents our first step towards justice, healing and unity.”
Representatives Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) and Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.) introduced the companion legislation in the House.
Those joining the first lady at Monday’s panel session included Salazar and fellow Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.).
Cruz went on to say the inspiration for the legislation came from Texan Elliston Berry, who was 14 years old when a male classmate posted a salacious deep fake image of her online.
“I turned to my staff in my office that afternoon, and I said, ‘I want you to get the CEO of Snapchat on the phone today. I want those pictures down today.’ Within two hours, they pull them down,” he recalled.
“It should not take a sitting senator or sitting member of Congress picking up the phone to get a picture down or a video down. It should be the right of every American, every teenage girl victimized.”
Berry went on to recall the horrifying experience of seeing sexually explicit images of herself that had been artificially generated from a past Instagram picture of herself.
“I felt responsible and began to blame myself, and was ashamed to tell my parents, despite doing nothing wrong,” she said. “I lived in fear that [the fake images] would resurface.”
During President Donald Trump’s first term, Melania had previously spoken to Congress about the country’s foster-care system and her “Be Best” initiative, which aims to combat cyberbullying and promote wellness among young people. After Trump’s re-election, she revived the program.
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