California Democrats Discover Unexpected Supporter in Melania Trump
State lawmakers advocating for more stringent regulations on deepfakes express their support for the first lady's shared commitment to the issue.
TroibNews 
SAN FRANCISCO — Two of California’s most active Democratic legislators in combating deepfakes are finding unexpected alignment with first lady Melania Trump.
State Sen. Aisha Wahab and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan expressed their support for the first lady’s advocacy on Capitol Hill this week for the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act. This legislation aims to make non-consensual deepfake pornography illegal and to require tech companies to eliminate such content upon user notification.
Melania Trump could serve as an influential ally in the struggle that these lawmakers have been championing from the West Coast.
“This is where we as society and a country can come together and say ‘We won’t stand for this,’” stated Wahab, who previously authored legislation that was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, establishing similar regulations to enable individuals to request the removal of deepfakes featuring them.
Nick Clemens, the first lady’s communications director, shared with California Decoded: “Protecting children from malicious attacks online is something First Lady Melania Trump cares very deeply about, and there is bipartisan support for legislation like the Take It Down Act.”
Melania Trump noted during her visit to Congress that her involvement in this initiative stemmed from concerns about the “heartbreaking” effects on young women specifically.
Bauer-Kahan, who is currently sponsoring a bill intended to criminalize the online hosting and distribution of unauthorized deepfake porn, welcomed the support from the Trump administration on this matter.
“I often say tech policy is best done when consistent across the country, but that’s been hard the last few years,” the San Francisco lawmaker remarked to California Decoded. Bauer-Kahan emphasized that increasing pressure on Big Tech at all levels to commit resources to eliminating harmful and explicit deepfakes is crucial.
She mentioned that while automated systems designed to spot and remove illegal explicit deepfakes have advanced, “getting these companies to take ownership over this issue” remains a significant challenge.
This rare instance of Democrats endorsing the Trumps’ agenda comes from a state that the former president frequently criticizes. Donald Trump himself even referenced the bipartisan federal initiative in his Tuesday address to Congress, marking another tentative connection between the White House and Sacramento.
However, not all deepfake regulations receive equal political standing. One of the measures signed by Newsom last year faced legal pushback from Elon Musk’s X, which argued that the mandates to label specific AI-generated political content infringe on free speech.
Nonetheless, deepfaked revenge porn appears to be a bipartisan concern. The measure supported by Melania Trump is backed by Sen. Ted Cruz and is sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Madeleine Dean.
Moreover, Donald Trump indicated earlier this week that he might utilize the TAKE IT DOWN Act for his own benefit. “I’m going to use that bill for myself, if you don’t mind,” Trump declared. “Nobody gets treated worse than I do online. Nobody.”
If you enjoy this content, you might want to consider subscribing to PMG’s California Decoded newsletter.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
State Sen. Aisha Wahab and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan expressed their support for the first lady’s advocacy on Capitol Hill this week for the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act. This legislation aims to make non-consensual deepfake pornography illegal and to require tech companies to eliminate such content upon user notification.
Melania Trump could serve as an influential ally in the struggle that these lawmakers have been championing from the West Coast.
“This is where we as society and a country can come together and say ‘We won’t stand for this,’” stated Wahab, who previously authored legislation that was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, establishing similar regulations to enable individuals to request the removal of deepfakes featuring them.
Nick Clemens, the first lady’s communications director, shared with California Decoded: “Protecting children from malicious attacks online is something First Lady Melania Trump cares very deeply about, and there is bipartisan support for legislation like the Take It Down Act.”
Melania Trump noted during her visit to Congress that her involvement in this initiative stemmed from concerns about the “heartbreaking” effects on young women specifically.
Bauer-Kahan, who is currently sponsoring a bill intended to criminalize the online hosting and distribution of unauthorized deepfake porn, welcomed the support from the Trump administration on this matter.
“I often say tech policy is best done when consistent across the country, but that’s been hard the last few years,” the San Francisco lawmaker remarked to California Decoded. Bauer-Kahan emphasized that increasing pressure on Big Tech at all levels to commit resources to eliminating harmful and explicit deepfakes is crucial.
She mentioned that while automated systems designed to spot and remove illegal explicit deepfakes have advanced, “getting these companies to take ownership over this issue” remains a significant challenge.
This rare instance of Democrats endorsing the Trumps’ agenda comes from a state that the former president frequently criticizes. Donald Trump himself even referenced the bipartisan federal initiative in his Tuesday address to Congress, marking another tentative connection between the White House and Sacramento.
However, not all deepfake regulations receive equal political standing. One of the measures signed by Newsom last year faced legal pushback from Elon Musk’s X, which argued that the mandates to label specific AI-generated political content infringe on free speech.
Nonetheless, deepfaked revenge porn appears to be a bipartisan concern. The measure supported by Melania Trump is backed by Sen. Ted Cruz and is sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Madeleine Dean.
Moreover, Donald Trump indicated earlier this week that he might utilize the TAKE IT DOWN Act for his own benefit. “I’m going to use that bill for myself, if you don’t mind,” Trump declared. “Nobody gets treated worse than I do online. Nobody.”
If you enjoy this content, you might want to consider subscribing to PMG’s California Decoded newsletter.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
