Melania Trump has revealed the cause she plans to champion next year—an announcement that appeared to catch her husband, President Donald Trump, completely off guard.

The First Lady is rarely seen in public, usually appearing only at major events alongside the president. Still, the 55-year-old former model has consistently shown a strong commitment to protecting young people, particularly from the dangers they face online, and she has periodically spoken out on the issue.

She used the Congressional Ball on Thursday, December 11, as an opportunity to spotlight that focus, announcing plans to introduce a new piece of legislation in 2026, building on the success of her earlier initiative passed in 2025.

Meanwhile, the 79-year-old president seemed unaware of her plans until she mentioned them publicly.

“I hope you will be excited to support my new legislative initiative in 2026,” Melania told attendees. “Some of you already know about it, because it is already in progress.”

Later, Trump admitted he was hearing about the project for the first time.

“The only thing I know for sure,” he said, “is that it’s going to be great for children. I don’t know exactly what she’s working on, but it will be great for kids, because she loves children.

“If she brings it forward, it’ll probably pass unanimously again—or very close to it.”

Melania’s comments follow her push earlier this year for stricter laws targeting so-called revenge porn. In March, she urged lawmakers to make the distribution of non-consensual intimate images a federal crime.

Speaking on Capitol Hill at the time, she advocated for bipartisan legislation to combat the online spread of explicit images shared without consent, including AI-generated deepfake content.

She warned that artificial intelligence is already being used to create fake pornographic images of victims, creating what she described as a “toxic” digital environment for young people.

Her proposed Take It Down Act would criminalize the creation and distribution of such material and require technology companies to remove it within 48 hours.

Revisiting the issue during her address this week, Melania highlighted the bill’s success.

“As the president mentioned, our greatest achievement in the First Lady’s office in 2025 was the Take It Down Act,” she said, thanking lawmakers for their bipartisan support across both chambers of Congress and expressing gratitude to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

President Trump signed the bill into law in May, making it one of the first major pieces of legislation approved by Congress during his term.

The bill was sponsored by Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, passed unanimously in the Senate, and cleared the House by a 409–2 vote before reaching the president’s desk.

During the signing ceremony, Trump handed the pen to Melania, inviting her to sign the bill as well, saying she “deserves” the honor.

“America is blessed to have such a dedicated and compassionate first lady,” he said.

Melania’s appearance before Congress also comes shortly after she launched her own production company, Muse Films. In addition, a documentary titled Melania, featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the Trump family, is scheduled to be released in theaters on January 30.