Trump Signs ‘Take It Down Act’ With Melania

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Trump Signs ‘Take It Down Act’ With Melania \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act on Monday, targeting non-consensual intimate imagery online. The bipartisan bill criminalizes revenge porn and AI-generated deepfakes, with First Lady Melania Trump playing a key advocacy role. Platforms must remove offending content within 48 hours of victim notification.

Quick Looks

New Federal Crime: Bill criminalizes sharing or threatening to share non-consensual intimate images.
Deepfakes Included: AI-generated explicit content is also covered under the law.
Melania’s Advocacy: First lady lobbied lawmakers and attended roundtables with victims.
Fast Content Removal: Sites must delete reported images within 48 hours, including duplicates.
Rare Federal Oversight: Act introduces federal regulation of online platform content on this issue.
Bipartisan Support: Passed House 409-2 and cleared Senate by unanimous consent.
Free Speech Concerns: Critics warn the bill could overreach and stifle lawful online content.
Continued ‘Be Best’ Effort: Melania connects the law to her earlier social media advocacy.

Deep Look

In a high-profile White House ceremony Monday, President Donald Trump, alongside First Lady Melania Trump, signed into law the Take It Down Act, a bipartisan bill designed to combat the growing online epidemic of non-consensual intimate imagery, often referred to as “revenge porn.”

The bill is one of the most aggressive federal steps ever taken to regulate harmful online content, particularly images shared without consent or created through AI-based “deepfake” technology. While many U.S. states already have revenge porn statutes, this new law establishes nationwide criminal penalties and enforces rapid removal obligations on digital platforms.

Melania’s Pivotal Role in Advocacy

The legislation’s passage marks a major policy victory for Melania Trump, who resumed her public advocacy role earlier this year and took a lead in lobbying lawmakers to support the bill.

In March, she made her first public appearance of the year by traveling to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress. She also participated in a roundtable with victims, including young women and teenage girls who had explicit images of them distributed online without consent.

“It’s heartbreaking to hear what these girls go through,” the first lady said during the meeting, adding that the mental and social fallout can be life-altering.

Following the meeting, Melania invited one of the victims to attend the president’s joint session address to Congress, amplifying the bill’s visibility. After the bill passed the House, she called the vote a “powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of our children.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt credited the first lady’s efforts as “instrumental” to the bill’s final passage.

What the Law Does

The Take It Down Act makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish or threaten to publish intimate images without the subject’s consent. It specifically includes provisions for AI-manipulated content, such as deepfake pornography.

The law mandates that:

Websites and social platforms must remove the content within 48 hours after being notified by a victim.
Platforms are also required to detect and delete duplicate versions of the same material.
Violators could face federal criminal charges, marking a significant shift in how such offenses are handled.

This measure, sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), garnered overwhelming bipartisan support. It passed the House 409-2 and cleared the Senate by unanimous consent, signaling rare unity across party lines.

Political and Civil Liberties Debate

While hailed by many as a landmark step in digital privacy, the bill has also drawn criticism from free speech advocates and digital rights organizations. Critics argue that the language could be too broad, potentially allowing the government to suppress legally permissible adult content, including LGBTQ materials, or to infringe on privacy rights in private communication channels.

Others worry that the law might enable surveillance or pave the way for government overreach in moderating online expression.

Despite this, the law’s supporters say its focus on victim protection and rapid response outweighs concerns. Supporters maintain that current patchwork state laws have proven insufficient in preventing harm or removing content quickly enough to prevent reputational damage.

Trump and Online Abuse

President Trump expressed strong support for the legislation, citing his own experience with online abuse.

“It’s just terrible what people do with this kind of imagery,” Trump said during his March address to Congress. “And I’m going to use that bill for myself, too, if you don’t mind. There’s nobody who gets treated worse than I do online. Nobody.”

The comment, delivered with a mix of humor and frustration, struck a chord with his base and drew attention to the increasing weaponization of AI-generated media in political and personal attacks.

A Continuation of ‘Be Best’

Melania Trump’s involvement in the Take It Down Act continues the themes of her “Be Best” initiative, launched during Trump’s first term. Originally focused on children’s well-being, opioid abuse, and responsible social media use, the campaign now expands into digital safety legislation, providing a policy framework behind her longstanding public messaging.

With the president’s signature now affixed, the Take It Down Act represents a significant federal-level commitment to curbing online abuse, enforcing platform accountability, and protecting the digital privacy of Americans—especially youth and vulnerable populations.