First Lady Melania Trump has championed the Take It Down Act, a piece of bipartisan legislation which targets individuals and platforms for the nonconsensual sharing of sexual images, including those generated by AI.

While Mrs. Trump recently spoke of the need to shut down the practice at a Capitol Hill roundtable event, she also took aim at Democrats for refusing to show up. 

First lady calls for passage of the Take It Down Act

According to Fox News, the first lady's remarks came as she sat alongside a group of Republican lawmakers, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who cosponsored the Take It Down Act.

"I am here with you today with a common goal — to protect our youth from online harm. The widespread presence of abusive behavior in the digital domain affects the daily lives of our children, families and communities," Mrs. Trump declared.

"Addressing this issue is essential for fostering a safe and supportive environment for our young people," the first lady continued.

"I hope today’s roundtable builds awareness of the harm caused by nonconsensual intimate imagery and eventually the approval of the Take it Down Act in Congress," Mrs. Trump added.

Mrs. Trump "expected to see more Democrat leaders" present

Yet as The Hill reported, she made a point of stressing that Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean were not in attendance.

"I must admit, however, I expected to see more Democrat leaders with us here today to address this serious issue. Surely as adults, we can prioritize America’s children ahead of partisan politics," she remarked.

Klobuchar is cosponsoring the Take It Down Act with Cruz in the Senate while Dean is lead cosponsor of the House of Representatives' version.

When approached for comment, Klobuchar later told The Hill that she is grateful to the first lady "for shining a light on this important issue."

"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," the senator added.

President touts bill in congressional speech

For his part, President Donald Trump praised his wife's efforts on behalf of presenting the Take It Down Act while addressing a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening.

Pres. Trump praised first lady Melania Trump’s work supporting the "Take It Down" Act, which is intended to criminalize the publication of deepfake and non-consensual pornography and require platforms to remove such content. https://t.co/XDLWXWC8pj pic.twitter.com/PRnQ5yRNQl

— ABC News (@ABC) March 5, 2025

What's more, Trump also highlighted the plight of a young woman who became the victim of online deepfake pornography.