In a rare moment of bipartisan unity, First Lady Melania Trump has joined forces with California lawmakers Senator Aisha Wahab and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan to push for the TAKE IT DOWN Act—a federal bill that aims to ban non-consensual deep-fake por——— and compelling tech companies to remove such content from their platforms.
In exclusive interviews with POLITICO, the two Democratic lawmakers expressed their support for the First Lady’s efforts. They mentioned the need to address this growing issue. “This is where we, as a society and a country, can come together and say, ‘We won’t stand for this,’” Senator Wahab stated.
Wahab has previously authored legislation signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to allow victims to request the removal of deep-fake content. He sees Melania Trump’s push as a very important step toward nationwide regulation.
During a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill, Melania Trump voiced serious concern over the impact of deep-fake abuse, particularly on young women. “I hope today’s roundtable builds awareness of the harm caused by non-consensual intimate images,” she stated.
Nick Clemens, the First Lady’s communications chief, reiterated her strong stance on protecting children from online abuse. He said, “Protecting children from malicious attacks online is something First Lady Melania Trump cares very deeply about, and there is bipartisan support for legislation like the TAKE IT DOWN Act.”
President Donald Trump did not attend the meeting but he didn’t hold back from showing his support. He shared a Fox News clip of Melania’s speech on Truth Social where he wrote, “Watching our First Lady now. Good job!”
First Lady Melania Trump delivers remarks to shine a light on victims of online deepfakes.
Our First Lady is an inspiration to all women throughout the world! pic.twitter.com/CKKQe1neji
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) March 3, 2025
Despite the severe political divisions in Washington, Bauer-Kahan acknowledged that Melania Trump’s advocacy has even drawn backing from Trump supporters on this issue.
“I often say tech policy is best done when consistent across the country, but that’s been hard the last few years,” the San Francisco politician explained.
Bauer-Kahan also talked about the urgency for Big Tech to take stronger measures against explicit deep-fake content. For sure, AI detection methods for removing such content have improved but tech companies have been slow to take full responsibility.
Melania Trump stuns in brown three-piece suit while arriving at Capitol Hill to lend her support for the ‘Take It Down Act.’
The Act would make it a federal crime to publish faked AI p*rnographic images online depicting identifiable real people.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 4, 2025
Melania Trump in her statement said, “In an era where digital interactions are integral to daily life, it is imperative that we safeguard children from mean-spirited and hurtful online behavior.”
