In a first-of-its-kind moment at the White House, First Lady Melania Trump personally signed a landmark bill targeting online exploitation—a role historically reserved only for the president.

According to Daily Mail Online, Melania Trump’s unprecedented co-signing of the Take It Down Act marks her most significant legislative involvement to date and reflects her renewed commitment to children’s safety through her Be Best campaign.

The Take It Down Act was officially signed into law on Monday during a ceremony held in the Rose Garden, with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump present. The legislation is designed to combat revenge porn and the growing threat of AI-generated deepfake sexual content, especially as it pertains to children and teens. With its enactment, websites are now legally obligated to remove flagged explicit content within 48 hours of a formal complaint.

Melania Trump steps into uncharted territory

What made this legislative moment particularly historic was Melania Trump’s active participation—not only in supporting the law behind the scenes but also in signing it publicly. No first lady has ever before co-signed a bill into law. President Trump invited Melania to complete the signing moments after his own signature, telling her, “Honey, you’ve done amazing,” and praising her resolve in taking on a difficult but crucial issue.

Melania Trump began publicly advocating for the bill earlier this year. She appeared alongside Republican Senator Ted Cruz—who sponsored the legislation—for a roundtable discussion and made several visits to Capitol Hill to garner congressional support. Her efforts contributed heavily to the bill’s bipartisan success, with Republican Representative Maria Salazar co-sponsoring the legislation in the House.

As part of her lobbying work, Melania hosted women affected by revenge porn in her box during President Trump’s joint address before Congress in March. Among these guests were Francesca Mani and 15-year-old Elliston Berry, both of whom joined Monday’s Rose Garden event and were visibly moved by the law’s passage.

Victims share powerful testimonies of trauma

Berry, who had testified earlier this year about being the target of an AI-generated deepfake image at the age of 14, delivered heartfelt remarks at the ceremony. “I was 14 years old when I was violated all over social media,” she said. She went on to describe her participation in the legislative process as inspiring, noting how empowering it felt to know her voice had helped bring change.

The Act’s passage represents the first major legislative milestone under Melania Trump’s rejuvenated Be Best initiative, which targets child welfare. During her remarks, she called the bill a "powerful step forward" in protecting youth from online dangers and emphasized that this was a "national victory" for families and digital safety.

Melania also issued a strong critique of artificial intelligence and social media platforms. She compared them to “sweet, addictive” substances engineered to influence emotional and cognitive development. Warning of the dangers, she stated, “Unlike sugar, this new technologies can be weaponized,” emphasizing the urgency of policy intervention to limit harm, particularly to children.

Bipartisan support and high-profile attendance

The White House ceremony drew a notable group of attendees, including Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Also present were Rep. Nancy Mace, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, among others. Their participation highlighted the bipartisan appeal of the legislation and the administration’s emphasis on the issue.

Standing before the gathering, President Trump pointed out the legislative gridlock often present in Washington and marveled at the cooperation involved in passing the bill. Joking with Melania, he said, “I'm not even sure you realize, honey, you know a lot of the Democrats and Republicans don't get along,” a nod to the bill’s rare cross-party backing.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, acknowledged the first lady's sustained involvement throughout the lawmaking process. She confirmed Melania’s future plans to remain engaged in similar policy efforts through her Be Best campaign and praised her for meeting extensively with survivors, lawmakers, and advocacy groups along the way.

Be Best campaign sees a legislative victory

The Take It Down Act is seen as a key triumph for the Be Best campaign, which Melania Trump first unveiled during her husband’s earlier term in office. After a period of relative quiet surrounding the initiative, this legislative action marks its most direct policy impact to date, revitalizing the campaign’s core mission of advocating for child safety and wellness.

Melania expressed gratitude to both legislative supporters and the survivors who came forward with testimony. “Thank you all for coming together to prioritize people over politics,” she said, calling special attention to the courage of those who turned "an awful situation" into an impetus for national change.

Elliston Berry’s story was referenced often throughout the event, serving as a poignant reminder of what is at stake. She closed her speech by urging Americans to continue fighting for all those affected by similar violations, describing it as “truly so amazing” that justice could arise from suffering.