Melania Trump advocates against ‘mean-spirited and hurtful online behavior’ in first public remarks of new term
By Betsy Klein, CNN
(CNN) — Melania Trump used her first public remarks of her husband’s second term to lend her support to an effort to protect Americans from deepfake and revenge pornography, renewing a commitment to her first-term “Be Best platform.”
“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,” Trump said at an event on Capitol Hill on Monday, which comes as she has so far spent limited time in Washington.
“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,” Trump added – expressing sentiments seemingly at odds with some of President Donald Trump’s social media posts that often use personal attacks and name-calling for political opponents and perceived enemies.
Speaking at a roundtable with lawmakers and advocates against and survivors of revenge porn, the first lady reaffirmed the “Be Best” platform established during the first Trump administration, which included a focus on online safety, as she urged House lawmakers to pass the “TAKE IT DOWN” Act, which is aimed at protecting Americans from deepfake and revenge pornography.
The bill — first introduced by GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and passed in the Senate last month with bipartisan support — “would criminalize the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII (or ‘deepfake pornography’), and require social media and similar websites to have in place procedures to remove such content upon notification from a victim,” according to Cruz’s office.
Trump offered a dig at Democrats, who were largely absent from the roundtable discussion.
“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,” the first lady said at the event, which drew top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, as well as Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
In the past year, targets of AI-generated, non-consensual pornographic images have ranged from prominent women such as Taylor Swift and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to high school girls, including Elliston Berry, a 15-year-old from Texas who joined the first lady on Capitol Hill Monday.
“They superimposed her (Berry’s) face into pornographic content without her consent, solely to humiliate her. And although Elliston’s family contacted the social media companies for help, their efforts fell upon deaf ears. Ultimately, the fake images circulated worldwide,” the first lady said.
She continued, “It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes. This toxic environment can be severely damaging. … Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themselves freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm.”
Berry, along with her mother and stepfather, Anna and Mark McAdams, will be guests of the first lady at the president’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, according to the office of the first lady.
After attending the inauguration and joining her husband to tour natural disaster damage in North Carolina and California, Melania Trump was absent from the White House between January 24 and February 22, when she reemerged to host a dinner with the nation’s governors.
Trump was expected to spend a majority of her time between New York, where son Barron is attending college, and Florida, CNN reported during the presidential transition. Sources familiar with her thinking said at the time that she would still be present for major events and would have her own platform and priorities as first lady.
Even as she’s been open about traversing the East Coast, the first lady has previously emphasized that she’d be in DC. Asked where she planned to spend her time in a January 13 interview with Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt, Trump said, “I will be in the White House. And, you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach.”
She continued, “But my first priority is, you know, to be a mom, to be a first lady, to be a wife, and once we are in on January 20, you serve the country.”
The president has also spent significant time in Florida since Inauguration Day, traveling to Miami or Palm Beach for five out of his first six weekends in office.
The-CNN-Wire
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