Melania Trump faces backlash after she breaks protocol with one act no First Lady has ever done before

Melania Trump is getting a lot of criticism after doing something no other First Lady has ever done. On May 19th, her husband, President Donald Trump, signed a new law called the Take It Down Act.

This law makes it a federal crime to share sexual images of someone without their permission, including AI-made deepfakes and revenge porn. Melania had strongly supported this bill, especially to help protect children from online abuse.

But what shocked many people was that Melania also signed the bill during the ceremony even though she’s not an elected official and has no legal authority to do so. Her signature doesn’t make the law official or legal in any way it was just symbolic. However, President Trump encouraged her to do it, saying, “Come on, sign it anyway,” and praised her efforts, calling her work on the issue “amazing.”

Melania called the law a national win and warned about how AI and social media are like “digital candy” for kids sweet and addictive, but potentially harmful. She said these technologies can change how kids think, feel, and even lead to deadly consequences.

While some people praised Melania for her work on the law, many others were upset by her signing the bill. People on social media pointed out that it was inappropriate because she doesn’t have any legal power.

Some users asked why she was allowed to do this and said if Jill Biden (President Joe Biden’s wife) had done something similar, there would have been a huge outrage from Trump supporters. They called out the double standard and accused the Trumps of bending the rules to make themselves look good.

Others questioned whether her signature had any value at all. Some said that the act of letting her sign it was just for show and went against government norms. One person wrote, “Imagine if Joe Biden did something like this,” suggesting that Trump supporters would have reacted very differently if the roles were reversed.

Despite the controversy, the law itself is important. It requires websites and social media companies to take down any harmful or explicit images within 48 hours if the person in the image requests it.

The companies also have to make sure those images are permanently removed. The law was created to protect people especially women and children from having their private images shared online without their consent.

This situation shows how actions that may seem small or symbolic, like a First Lady signing a bill, can spark a big reaction—especially when people feel like government traditions are being ignored or misused.