Ahead of her husband's address to a joint session of Congress, Melania Trump made her first public remarks on policy since October 2019, heading for Capitol Hill to back a bill that would criminalize "revenge porn." On Monday, the First Lady met with members of Congress, advocates, and teenage victims to urge the House to advance the "TAKE IT DOWN Act." The proposed legislation would criminalize the distribution of "non-consensual intimate content" — commonly referred to as "revenge porn" — including AI-generated compromising images, Politico reports. "In an era where digital interactions are integral to daily life, it is imperative we safeguard children from mean-spirited and hurtful online behavior,” said Melania Trump. The "TAKE IT DOWN Act" was already progressing toward becoming law without the First Lady's direct endorsement. The Senate version, introduced by Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), passed by unanimous consent last month.
House GOP leadership has also made the legislation a priority, with House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) announcing that his committee would hold a hearing on it in the coming weeks. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise have also expressed support for the bill. "We are eager to get it to the House floor and then to President Trump's desk for signing," Johnson said at Monday's event. "We must take action to stop this. I fully support it." Nevertheless, Melania Trump's choice to use this event as her first public appearance since returning to the White House six weeks ago is significant. After largely stepping back from the 2024 campaign and avoiding the public eye following the first Trump administration, she selected the "TAKE IT DOWN Act" to revive her "Be Best" anti-cyberbullying platform. At the same time, she made a pointed comment about the event's overwhelmingly Republican attendance. "I expected to see more Democratic leaders with us here today to address this serious issue," she said. "Surely, as adults, we can prioritize America's children over partisan politics." At least one Democrat, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, joined the roundtable. While the tech industry has refrained from vocal opposition, some privacy advocates have expressed concerns that the bill could lead to overreach and censorship.