In a notable ceremony held in the Rose Garden on May 19, 2025, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump co-signed the Take It Down Act. This bipartisan legislation makes it a crime to distribute non-consensual intimate images, including those created using artificial intelligence technologies.
The ceremony took place shortly after President Trump mentioned that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had recently praised the First Lady during a phone call about the ongoing Ukraine conflict. President Trump shared that Putin had spoken positively about Melania, causing the President to ponder his own relationship with the Russian leader.
Melania Trump’s BE BEST initiative has prioritized the Take It Down Act, which targets the issue of revenge image distribution, covering real and AI-generated content. Earlier this year, the First Lady, aged 55, made a rare visit to Capitol Hill to personally campaign for the bill with congressional members.
“This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused,” Mrs. Trump stated during the ceremony.
After signing the bill, President Trump handed it and a pen to Melania, inviting her to add her signature in recognition of her efforts. He remarked, “She deserves to sign it,” and praised her as “a dedicated and compassionate first lady.”
According to White House officials, Melania Trump is the first First Lady in U.S. history to sign legislation alongside a sitting president, marking a noteworthy moment for presidential spouses.
In her speech, Melania addressed the risks posed by emerging technologies, particularly for younger generations. She compared artificial intelligence and social media to “digital candy”—enticing and addictive but potentially dangerous when misused against vulnerable individuals.
President Trump shared his own challenges with deepfakes during the event, voicing frustration that those responsible often face no repercussions. He mentioned that even top law enforcement officials have struggled to manage the issue when he sought help.
The new federal law received strong bipartisan support, passing the House 409-2 and unanimously in the Senate. It addresses a gap in existing protections since, prior to the signing, 49 states had laws against “revenge porn,” with South Carolina being the exception.
Under the legislation, offenders can receive up to two years in federal prison for images involving adults and three years for those involving minors. Websites are required to comply with removal requests within 48 hours if images breach the law, with enforcement overseen by the Federal Trade Commission.
This law marks one of the first federal attempts to penalize certain abuses of artificial intelligence. Its passage follows extensive advocacy by Mrs. Trump, who organized a roundtable in March 2025 on Capitol Hill with victims of non-consensual image distribution, their families, and online safety advocates.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a proponent of the bill, commended the First Lady’s role, stating her support was crucial in advancing the legislation. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who contributed to the bipartisan effort, highlighted that the law will help victims remove harmful content from platforms and hold offenders accountable.
Digital rights organizations have raised concerns about the broad language of the bill, fearing it could impact legitimate content or pose challenges for smaller platforms. The Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that the 48-hour removal rule might prompt companies to delete content without verifying claims.
Despite these apprehensions, the Take It Down Act has received backing from major tech firms like Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The legislation underscores increasing awareness of how AI can be used to produce realistic but fake explicit content without the subject’s consent or knowledge.
The signing ceremony gathered survivors, families, legislators, Cabinet members, and advocates who played a role in the passage of this significant law, emphasizing the bipartisan efforts to tackle online exploitation.
