Politics
NEW: Melania Trump Scores Huge Legislative Victory
After a long wait, victims of revenge porn and AI deepfakes finally have a savior in Melania Trump.
The First Lady for years has pushed Congress to take action on non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), or the practice of photographing and/or disseminating images depicting someone else, usually a sexual partner, without their consent. A 2022 bill signed into law by President Joe Biden didn’t do enough to ensure protections for victims without the threat of costly litigation, advocates say.
But on Monday, a federal standard for criminal prosecution was signed into law to punish purveyors of revenge porn, AI deepfakes, and other types of NCII. At a signing ceremony in the Rose Garden, Melania spoke movingly about her conversation with victims of the malicious practice and the lives lost of those who committed suicide after being betrayed by former lovers.
“Artificial Intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation: sweet, addictive, and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children,” the first lady said. “But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs, and sadly, affect emotions, and even be deadly.”
She highlighted Elliston Berry, a 14-year-old Texas girl in attendance whose ordeal gained national attention after male classmates used AI to create deepfake images depicting her naked body.
Melania also thanked her husband for working to shepherd the legislation through a GOP-controlled Congress. Despite the win for President Donald Trump, nearly all Democrats in the U.S. House voted for its passage.
The bipartisan legislation is the brainchild of Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), miles apart on most policy but who came together for the good of children and young adults most affected by NCII crimes.
“I want to thank Melania for your leadership in this very important issue,” Trump said before signing the bill into law. “America is blessed to have such a dedicated and compassionate first lady.”
Referencing a call with Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier that day, Trump jokingly added, “We just spent two and a half hours talking to Vladimir Putin and I think some progress has been made. … We also spoke to the heads of most of the European nations… Putin just said they respect your wife a lot. I said, ‘What about me?’ They like Melania better.”
“That wasn’t good. I don’t know if that was good. I’m OK with it,” the president said to modest laughter.
Growing more serious, Trump recalled how affected he was by the stories of victims.
“Upon hearing the stories of so many women affected, our first lady made stopping these abuses a top priority,” he said.
According to the Western Journal, provisions of the law include penalties of up to three years in prison for anyone who knowingly distributes NCII without the consent of the subject. In addition, third-party pornography sites must take down offending images and video within 48 hours after being contacted by a victim or face civil penalties.
President Biden in 2022 signed into law new protections for NCII victims which would allow them to sue such third-party sites, but advocates have since complained that the measure did little considering the steep costs of litigating against corporate pornography operations.
Alongside Trump’s official signature on the bill is the First Lady’s.
He said, “She deserves to sign it.”
WATCH:
JUST IN: @realDonaldTrump signs the ‘Take It Down’ Act into law to criminalize revenge porn—even letting first lady @MELANIATRUMP sign the bill she championed. pic.twitter.com/YU0ubjEEGO
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 19, 2025
