First lady Melania Trump implored members of Congress Thursday night to help her pass a “new legislative initiative” she plans to bring to their attention next year.
President Trump’s wife briefly addresed lawmakers from both parties who gathered at the White House for the Congressional Ball, reflecting on the success of her push to pass the Take It Down Act outlawing the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery — including AI-generated porn with real people’s faces.
“As the president said, our greatest triumph in the first lady’s office in 2025 is the Take Down Act. I appreciate all of your support,” said Melania, clad in a black velvet tuxedo pantsuit and lace turtleneck top. “I appreciate your overwhelming bipartisan support across the House and the Senate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker (Mike) Johnson.
“I hope you will be excited to support my new legislative initiative in 2026. Some of you already know about it because it’s already in the works,” she added.
The first lady’s revelation even caught her husband off guard.
“Well, I just heard about that for the first time. The only thing that I can tell you is it’s going to be great for children. I don’t know what it is she’s doing, but I know it’s going to be great for children because she loves children. If she puts it out, it’ll be maybe unanimous again or whatever that was. But very close,” the 79-year-old commander in chief said.
Donald Trump signed off on the Take It Down Act in May, making the measure one of the first significant pieces of legislation passed by Congress in his second term.
During her push to secure congressional approval, Melania Trump made a rare visit to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers in March.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sponsored the bill and it passed the Senate via unanimous consent. The House approved the measure 409-2, sending it to the president.
After approving the legislation, Trump handed the pen to his wife, encouraging her to add her signature.
“She deserves to sign it,” the president said, adding that “America is blessed to have such a dedicated and compassionate first lady.”
Melania Trump is believed to be the first first lady to sign a piece of legislation alongside a sitting president.
“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 at the time.
“Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation — sweet, addictive and engineered to have an impact on the connectivity development of our children,” she added. “But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and sadly, affect emotions.”
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