Melania Trump is scheduled to visit Capitol Hill on Monday to participate in a roundtable discussion with members of Congress and other stakeholders regarding a bill aimed at expediting the removal of intimate images posted online without an individual’s consent, commonly known as revenge porn. This will mark her first independent public appearance since resuming her duties as the first lady on January 20th.
The legislation in question, known as the “Take It Down Act,” was introduced by Senators Ted Cruz from Texas and Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota and successfully passed through the Senate in February. Melania Trump’s public endorsement of the bill is expected to lend crucial support in advancing it through the Republican-controlled House and ultimately reaching President Donald Trump’s desk for enactment.
Among those who will join the first lady for the discussion in the Capitol’s Mansfield Room are Senator Cruz, as well as online safety advocates and survivors of non-consensual sharing of intimate images. During the previous Trump administration, Melania Trump spearheaded the youth initiative “Be Best,” which emphasized online safety, and she has expressed a keen interest in revitalizing this program.
Despite maintaining a relatively low public profile since the beginning of the administration, Melania Trump has made select appearances, such as accompanying the president on visits to disaster-stricken areas in North Carolina and California following the inauguration week, and co-hosting a formal dinner for the nation’s governors at the White House with her husband on February 22nd.
The first lady is anticipated to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to attend the president’s prime-time address to a joint session of Congress.
