First lady Melania Trump has invited two young women who exemplify causes she has championed to be her special guests at her husband’s address Tuesday before a joint session of Congress.
Trump will be joined by Elliston Berry of Aledo, Texas, a victim of an AI-generated, sexually explicit “deepfake” image, and Haley Ferguson of Spring Hill, Tennessee, a former foster child who is the recipient of a scholarship instituted during Trump’s first tenure as first lady.
Berry was at Melania Trump’s side on Capitol Hill on Monday as the first lady used her first public comments since her husband’s inauguration to speak out about the publication of non-consensual, sexually explicit images.
Berry shared her story during the event. She was 14 when a classmate used an AI app to attach a nude body to an Instagram photo of her before circulating it on social media.
“Fear, shock and disgust were just some of the many emotions I felt,” Berry said. “I felt responsible and began to blame myself and was ashamed to tell my parents, despite doing nothing wrong.”
When she reported the matter to her school, the authorities said it was out of their control. It was only after the office of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, heard her story and personally reached out to Snapchat that the photo was removed, she said.
Berry and the first lady spoke out in support of the Take it Down Act, which was unanimously passed by the Senate in February.
The bill, introduced in August by Cruz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., criminalizes the publication of “non-consensual, sexually exploitative images, including AI-generated deepfakes.” The legislation requires technology platforms to remove reported content within 48 hours of receiving a valid request.
Trump called Berry “brave.”
“It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes,” she said. “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.”
The other guest, Ferguson, is a former foster child who is now a senior at Middle Tennessee State University majoring in elementary education. She is the recipient of the Fostering the Future scholarship, which was launched by the first lady as part of her “Be Best” campaign to promote youth well-being and combat cyberbullying.
The mission of the scholarship is to prepare recipients “to enter the workforce and ultimately reach financial independence.”
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
