With SC Rep. Guffey at White House, Trump signs tougher new sextortion law
President Donald Trump shook the hand of South Carolina state House member Brandon Guffey and mentioned his family during a law signing ceremony Monday at the White House Rose Garden.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, a supporter of the “Take it Down Act,” invited Guffey and his family to attend. Guffey sat in the front row and was then invited on stage as Trump signed the new law with tougher penalties for those who publish online revenge pornography.
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, introduced Guffey to Trump on the stage after the signing, where Trump and Guffey shook hands, according to a video broadcast from the White House.
Guffey’s oldest son, Gavin, died by suicide at age 17 in July 2022 after an online sexual extortion scheme. Guffey, a Rock Hill Republican representing District 48 in the S.C. legislature, has spent the past three years testifying before Congress and fighting for tougher online laws.
Trump described the federal law as “very important.” It passed with overwhelming support from both political parties, Trump said. The president praised the first lady’s work on the law, too.
The law makes it a federal crime to “knowingly publish” or threaten to publish intimate images without a person’s consent, and requires websites and social media to take such images down within 48 hours. The measure includes artificial intelligence images generally called “deepfakes.”
“We will not tolerate online sexual exploitation,” Trump told the crowd.
Guffey told The Herald in a text message after the ceremony he is “humbled” by the support from the first lady and the Trump administration to pass the law.
“It is a great step towards protecting kids online,” Guffey said.
Brandon Guffey, a former York County Council member, spearheaded South Carolina’s “Gavin’s Law” that took effect in 2023 and made online sexual extortion a state crime.
In January, the FBI extradited a Nigerian man who is accused of sexually extorting Gavin Guffey using explicit photos Gavin sent him online.
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "With SC Rep. Guffey at White House, Trump signs tougher new sextortion law."
