President Donald Trump on Monday officially signed into law the Take It Down Act, a bold move targeting online sexual exploitation. The initiative had a strong ally in First Lady Melania Trump, who played a vital role in pushing the legislation through Congress—and was even asked by the president to sign the bill herself, despite her mild hesitation.
“C’mon, sign it anyway,” President Trump urged his wife during the White House Rose Garden ceremony. “She deserves to sign it.”
After adding her signature, the president proudly displayed the document with both of their names, holding it up for the crowd.
While Melania Trump’s signature has no legal standing, as first ladies hold no formal legislative authority, the gesture symbolized her deep involvement. Back in March, Melania made her first public appearance in her resumed role as first lady by visiting Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers in the House of Representatives to pass the bill, which had already cleared the Senate.
At the signing, she called the legislation a “national victory”, emphasizing its potential to protect children from the dangers of online abuse, especially through artificial intelligence-generated fake images.
“AI and social media are the digital candy for the next generation—sweet, addictive, and designed to influence the cognitive development of our children,” she warned. “But unlike sugar, these technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs, and sadly, harm emotions—or even be deadly.”
President Trump echoed her concern, calling the AI-driven spread of explicit images an epidemic. “Countless women have been harassed with deepfakes and other obscene images distributed without their consent,” he said. “It’s just so horribly wrong.”
“Today, we’re making it totally illegal,” Trump declared.
The Take It Down Act makes it a federal crime to “knowingly publish” or threaten to publish intimate images without the subject’s consent—including AI-created deepfakes. It also requires social media platforms and websites to remove such content within 48 hours of a victim’s request and to eliminate any duplicates.
While many states have already passed laws against revenge porn and sexually explicit deepfakes, this new law stands out as a rare instance of federal regulation over internet companies.
Backed by Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, both Republicans, the bill received overwhelming bipartisan support, sailing through the House with a 409-2 vote and passing the Senate unanimously.
Still, not everyone is on board. Some free speech advocates and digital rights organizations argue that the law is overly broad. Critics warn it could lead to unintended censorship, potentially affecting legal adult content and LGBTQ media. Others worry it might give the government room to monitor private communications or erode due process protections.
Melania Trump also joined a Capitol Hill roundtable alongside lawmakers and young women who had suffered after intimate images of them were posted online. She called the experiences “heartbreaking,” especially for teen girls, and later invited one of the victims as a guest to President Trump’s address to Congress.
After the bill passed the House, she praised the bipartisan action, calling it a “powerful statement” that America is united in defending the dignity, safety, and privacy of its youth.
Her advocacy continues the work of her Be Best campaign, which launched during her husband’s first term and focuses on children’s well-being, responsible social media use, and fighting opioid addiction.
In his March address to Congress, President Trump promised to sign the bill and even joked, “I’m going to use that bill for myself, too, if you don’t mind,” claiming no one gets treated worse online than he does.
Description:
"Discover how the Take It Down Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump and supported by First Lady Melania Trump, aims to combat online sexual exploitation and AI-generated deepfakes. Learn about the law's impact, bipartisan support, and the bold steps being taken to protect children and victims of digital abuse."