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Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth (Troutman) Mitchell is the White House Correspondent for the Daily Signal at The Heritage Foundation .
President Donald Trump signed legislation backed by his wife aimed at protecting young people from “revenge porn.”
“Big thing, very important, so horrible it takes place,” the president said at the Monday bill-signing ceremony in the Rose Garden. “This would be the first-ever federal law to combat the distribution of explicit, imagery posted without subjects’ consent.”
The House of Representatives on April 28 approved the bill against “revenge porn” by a 409-2 vote, after it passed the Senate unanimously in February, in a powerful showing of bipartisan support for legislation backed by first lady Melania Trump. Revenge porn is the malicious distribution of sexual images of a victim.
The Take It Down Act would impose legal penalties for creating deepfake artificial intelligence-created pornography using a victim’s image and would “require social media and other websites to remove such images within 48 hours of receiving notice from the victim.”
“With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deepfakes and other explicit images distributed against their will,” Trump said. “This is so horribly wrong, and it’s a very abusive situation, like in some cases, people have never seen before, and today, we’re making it totally illegal.”
The bill was a priority for the first lady’s “Be Best” initiative.
“The first lady made stopping these abuses a top priority,” Trump said, “and she was given tremendous support.”
Trump commended his wife for her success in getting the bill through Congress. Rep Maria Salazar, R-Fla, introduced the House version, and Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sponsored the Senate version.
“I want to thank you, honey,” Trump said. “You’ve done amazing.”
Reps Thomas Massie, R-Ky, and Eric Burlison, R-Mo, were the sole “no” votes. The Hill newspaper reported that Massie explained his “no” vote on the platform X, writing, “I’m voting NO because I feel this is a slippery slope, ripe for abuse, with unintended consequences.”
The bill is a win for online safety and accountability, countered Rep August Pfluger, R-Texas, who attended the bill-signing. Pfluger co-led the legislation in the House.
“This legislation cracks down on platforms that allow explicit, nonconsensual images to spread online and takes real steps to protect innocent victims,” Pfluger told the Daily Signal. “As a father of three daughters, I take this issue personally. The rise of deepfakes and intimate-image abuse is disturbing, and it demands serious action that this law delivers.”
According to Annie Chestnut Tutor, technology expert at The Heritage Foundation, the law is “a landmark victory for victims – especially children – who have been targeted through real and AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery online.”
“As artificial intelligence advances, so do the threats it poses when weaponized against the innocent. This law delivers critical accountability: it punishes those who publish or threaten to publish such images and compels platforms to remove them,” Tutor said. “It’s a decisive step toward restoring digital sovereignty, protecting childhood innocence, upholding human dignity, and reining in Big Tech.”
This article was originally published by The Daily Signal and republished by PA Pundits – International.
