In an unprecedented move for a first lady, Melania Trump added her signature alongside President Donald Trump as he signed the Take It Down Act into law during a Rose Garden ceremony on Monday.
The gesture marked a significant departure from tradition and highlighted the first lady’s personal investment in the legislation.
The new legislation, which provides protections for victims of revenge pornography including AI-generated “deepfake” content, represents Melania’s first major legislative success during her husband’s second term in office.
Her involvement in the bill’s passage went far beyond the typical ceremonial role of first ladies, per multiple reports.
First ladies traditionally don’t sign legislation, as that authority belongs exclusively to the President. However, President Trump specifically invited his wife to add her signature to the bill she had championed, handing her the binder and encouraging her to sign below his name.
She smiled as she took a white pen and added her signature to the historic document.
“Honey, you’ve done amazing,” the president remarked during the ceremony, praising his wife’s dedication to the cause.
He added that when first hearing about 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.”
Melania spoke first at the Rose Garden event, calling the legislation a “national victory that will help parents and families protect children from online exploitation.”
The first lady has made protecting children’s wellbeing a cornerstone of her revived “Be Best” campaign since returning to the White House in January.
During her remarks, Melania offered pointed criticism of artificial intelligence and social media platforms, describing them as “digital candy for the next generation” that is “sweet, addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children.”
The first lady warned that unlike sugar, “these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and sadly affect emotions and even be deadly.”
She emphasized that the legislation represents “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.”
The Take It Down Act received bipartisan support in Congress, a fact celebrated by both the president and first lady.
“Thank you all for coming together to prioritize people over politics,” Melania stated during the ceremony, acknowledging the cooperative effort behind the bill.
President Trump highlighted this rare moment of political unity in a lighthearted comment to his wife: “I’m not even sure you realize, honey, you know a lot of the Democrats and Republicans don’t get along.”
The comment drew smiles from the assembled guests, which included lawmakers from both parties who had worked to pass the legislation.
Among those attending the Rose Garden signing were victims of revenge pornography whom Melania had previously hosted in her box during the President’s joint address to Congress in March.
The President acknowledged Francesca Mani and Elliston Berry in the audience during his remarks, drawing attention to their courage in sharing their experiences.
Berry, just 15 years old, had previously testified about her traumatic experience with deepfake pornography.
At age 14, a classmate had used AI to edit her social media photo, attaching her head to a nude image that was then circulated online.
“I was 14 years old when I was violated all over social media,” Berry had stated in her powerful testimony.
The young victim later expressed gratitude for being included in the process, saying, “It is so inspiring to know that my voice is being heard, giving hope to not only me, to all the many people that have been affected by this.”
“It is truly so amazing how this awful situation has turned to good.”
The legislation requires websites to make reasonable efforts to remove non-consensual sexual images within 48 hours of receiving a complaint, per the Daily Mail.
It specifically addresses both traditional revenge pornography and the growing threat of AI-generated deepfake content, which has become increasingly sophisticated and difficult to distinguish from authentic images.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the first lady’s dedication to the issue, noting that “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.”
Leavitt added that Melania “will continue to champion the well-being of our nation’s children through her Be Best agenda.”
The first lady’s active lobbying for the bill included a rare visit to Capitol Hill in March, where she joined Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the bill’s sponsor, for a roundtable discussion promoting the legislation.
Her direct engagement with lawmakers represented a more hands-on approach than many of her predecessors in the East Wing.
The Daily Mail noted that prominent administration officials present at the ceremony included Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace, FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
In a lighthearted moment during the ceremony, President Trump mentioned a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier that day, saying, “Putin just said they respect your wife a lot. I said, ‘What about me?’ They like Melania better.”
The comment drew laughter from the audience and a smile from the first lady.
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