First Lady Melania Trump was surprised and frustrated that Democratic lawmakers ignored a roundtable meeting on Capitol Hill on Monday discussing a bill making its way through Congress that would criminalize the sharing of intimate photos online without the subject’s consent.
The bill, called the “Take It Down Act,” would criminalize the sharing of intimate photos on the internet without the subject’s consent, which is colloquially known as “revenge porn.”
Victims of revenge porn have experienced having their nude or otherwise private photos shared widely online. It’s unclear if the “Take It Down Act” would have stopped Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene — one of the most vocal cheerleaders for Donald Trump — from sharing nudes of Hunter Biden in front of Congress without his consent.
Rather than calling out a member of Congress for engaging in the very actions she’s advocating to criminalize, the First Lady instead expressed her disappointment that more Democrats didn’t attend the roundtable. According to a report by The Hill, 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 on Monday.
Klobuchar, a Democratic senator who co-led the Senate version of the bill, was not in attendance, according to The Hill.
“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,” Klobuchar told the outlet, adding that she “thanked the first lady “for shining a light on this important issue.”
Cruz, who was in attendance, said that the bill was inspired by a visit to his office by Elliston Berry and her mother. Berry reportedly had to fight for a year to have an AI-generated nonconsensual graphic image of her removed from Snapchat.
In addition to criminalizing the nonconsensual sharing of intimate images, the bill also contains language criminalizing nonconsensual creation and sharing of AI-created intimate images, commonly referred to as “deep fakes.”
“We must prioritize their well-being by equipping them with support and tools necessary to navigate this hostile digital landscape,” the first lady said. “Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themselves freely without the looming threat of exploitation or harm.”
On Monday, the first lady wrote on X that she was headed to Capitol Hill to “urge Congress to pass this important legislation to safeguard our youth.”
The bill has already passed the Senate with a 100-0 vote.
“This crucial legislation will protect ALL Americans, especially teenagers and young women. We need to get this done!” Cruz wrote on social media.
