“First Lady Melania Trump expressed disappointment on Monday that more Democratic lawmakers didn’t attend her roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill about a bill aimed at criminalizing the sharing of intimate photos online without consent. The bill, known as the ‘Take It Down Act,’ targets ‘revenge porn,’ where private photos are shared online without permission.”
The “Take It Down Act” aims to protect victims of revenge porn, who often find themselves with their private images spread across the internet. The bill also includes provisions to address “deep fakes,” which are AI-generated images or videos created without someone’s consent.
Instead of criticizing a lawmaker who may have been involved in actions similar to those the bill seeks to prevent, the First Lady voiced frustration that so few Democrats showed up to the meeting. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna was the only member of his party in attendance.
“I was heartened to learn that Senator [Ted] Cruz and Senator [Amy] Klobuchar unified to prioritize this fundamental matter, but I must admit, however, I expected to see more Democrat leaders here today to address this serious issue. Surely, as adults we can prioritize America’s children ahead of partisan politics,” the First Lady said.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, who co-sponsored the Senate version of the bill, was not at the meeting. She said the bill is important because it provides legal protections for victims of online abuse.
“We must provide victims of online abuse with legal protections when intimate images are shared without their consent, especially now that deepfakes are creating horrifying new opportunities for abuse,” she said. She also thanked Melania Trump for drawing attention to the issue.
Senator Cruz, who was present at the meeting, said the bill was inspired by a visit from Elliston Berry and her mother. Berry had to fight for a year to remove an AI-generated image of her from Snapchat after it was shared without her consent.
The bill would not only make it illegal to share intimate images without consent but also criminalize the creation and distribution of AI-generated intimate images.
Watch Melania’s remarks in the video below.
“I expected to see more Democrats.”
— First Lady Melania Trump, in her first public remarks since her return to the White House, urges the House to pass “TAKE IT DOWN” Act, which would crack down on sexually explicit deepfakes and revenge porn pic.twitter.com/M42l8qoHZu
— The Recount (@therecount) March 3, 2025
