First Lady Melania Trump made history at a White House ceremony for signing a bill on Monday, where she attended with her husband, President Donald Trump.
The first lady affixed her signature to a piece of legislation she championed in an unprecedented move. The new Take It Down Act adds new protections against revenge porn and it was her first major legislative success.
First ladies signing bills into law along with their presidential husbands is highly unusual, DailyMail.com noted. But after she lobbied hard for the bill and met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the president thought it would be a nice touch to add her signature to his.
“Honey, you’ve done amazing,” the president said during the Rose Garden event. He added that when he first heard of the legislation, “I said, it sounds like a tough one, and yet a very important one, and you got it done. So I congratulate you.”
Trump noted that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the morning. “Putin just said they respect your wife a lot. I said, ‘What about me?’ They like Melania better,” he quipped.
Melania also spoke at the event in what was a rare White House appearance for her. She called the legislation a “national victory that will help parents and families protect children from online exploitation.”
“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,” she said.
The first lady also riffed on artificial intelligence, calling it “digital candy for the next generation.”
“Sweet, addictive, and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children,” she said. “But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs, and sadly affect emotions and even be deadly.”
Melania also thanked Democrats and Republicans for joining forces to pass the bill. “Thank you all for coming together to prioritize people over politics,” she said.
In March, Melania Trump hosted women affected by revenge porn in her viewing box during the president’s joint address to Congress.
Two of those women, Francesca Mani and Elliston Berry, were present in the Rose Garden audience on Monday.
President Trump acknowledged both Berry and Mani as he stepped in for Melania at the podium.
He also recognized the bill’s sponsors—Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Rep. Maria Salazar of Florida, both Republicans—and praised the bipartisan support behind the legislation.
“I’m not even sure you realize, honey, you know a lot of the Democrats and Republicans don’t get along,” Trump joked during the signing.
Other Rose Garden attendees included Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Administrator of the Small Business Administration Kelly Loeffler, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, DailyMail.com reported.
Melania Trump will continue her work on children’s issues, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who praised her efforts on the bill.
“The First Lady met with members in the House and the Senate survivors and their families throughout the process to get this bill across the finish line. We are grateful for the First Lady’s hard work and dedication to this issue, and moving forward, she will continue to champion the well-being of our nation’s children through her Be Best agenda,” Leavitt said.
The First Lady relaunched her Be Best campaign focused on children’s welfare when she returned to the White House in January.
The legislation strengthens protections for victims of non-consensual distribution of sexual images, commonly referred to as “revenge pornography,” including content created using artificial intelligence, such as deepfake porn.
It also mandates that websites make a reasonable effort to remove such images within 48 hours of receiving a complaint.
