President Donald Trump lavished praise on his wife, first lady Melania Trump, during his address to Congress on Tuesday evening.
“I also want to recognize another person who has devoted herself to foster care community. She works so hard on it, a very loving person, our magnificent first lady of the United States,” he said while giving his speech as the room erupted in applause.
The president continued:
Melania’s work has yielded incredible results, helping prepare our nation’s future leaders as they enter the workforce. Our first lady is joined by two impressive young women, very impressive. Haley Ferguson, who benefitted from the first lady’s Fostering the Future Initiative and is poised to complete her education and become a teacher, and Elliston Berry, who became a victim of an illicit deepfake produced by a peer. With Elliston’s help, the Senate just passed the Take It Down Act, and this is so important. Thank you very much, John Thune. Thank you. Stand up, John. Thank you, John.
And thank you to John Thune and the Senate … a great job to criminalize the publication of such images online. Just terrible, a terrible thing. And once it passes the House, I look forward to signing that bill into law. Thank you. And I’m gonna use that bill for myself too, if you don’t mind. Because nobody gets treated worse than I do online, nobody. That’s great. Thank you very much to the Senate, thank you.
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
The first lady on Monday led a roundtable discussion about the use of deepfake technology in the production of revenge porn where she pushed for the passage of the “Take It Down Act,” Breitbart News reported.
Haley Ferguson joins President Trump at the Joint Session—a former foster child who overcame challenges and is pursuing her dreams thanks to the Fostering the Future Scholarship.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 5, 2025
Through Be Best, @POTUS and @FLOTUS are giving more youth hope and opportunity. pic.twitter.com/LP7nze9qvl
Elliston Berry joins President Trump at the Joint Session—a 15-year-old survivor of AI deepfakes who is fighting to protect America’s children.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 5, 2025
With the Take It Down Act and support from @FLOTUS Melania Trump, the next generation is safer from these attacks. pic.twitter.com/XbXxHIy1hZ
The first lady also called out Democrats for not joining the event, saying they should “prioritize America’s children ahead of partisan politics.”
The Breitbart News article also noted:
The Take It Down Act, which is sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), was also co-sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ted Budd (R-NC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), among others. The bill passed in the Senate in February, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Her husband’s praise also came after the first lady invited several other people, including Angel Families and a parents’ rights advocate, to be her guests during Trump’s address, per Breitbart News.
