First Lady Melania Trump encountered an awkward technical glitch Friday when her virtual appearance at an artificial intelligence summit began with nearly half a minute of silence.
Melania was scheduled to deliver remarks at a Zoom-sponsored event focused on educating children about artificial intelligence. The irony was immediate.
The conference itself was hosted on Zoom, and when the feed went live inside the White House, the First Lady stepped up to a podium in the Diplomatic Reception Room and began speaking.
Viewers, however, couldn’t hear a word.
For roughly 32 seconds after she was introduced, Melania’s microphone appeared to be muted. The audio finally kicked in mid-sentence, limiting how noticeable the mistake was.
“We are living in the age of imagination,” Melania said once the sound was restored. She described the current era as one driven by artificial intelligence, where curiosity can be satisfied almost instantly.
While the audio issue was resolved, the visuals weren’t perfect either. At several points, the camera failed to keep the First Lady fully in frame as she spoke.
During her remarks, Melania highlighted ways children and young people could use AI creatively, rattling off examples ranging from filmmaking to fashion design, music production, and digital art.
“Are you ready to produce your own movie?” she asked. “Do you want to build the next dress-to-impress empire? Have you ever wondered how to become the next master artist? Create your own song?”
The speech marked another step in Melania’s growing focus on technology during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Over the past year, she has taken on issues surrounding digital safety, particularly for children, as the Daily Mail reported.
In 2025, she actively pushed for passage of the Take It Down Act, a bipartisan law aimed at protecting minors from sexually explicit deepfake content. She has repeatedly warned about the dangers of emerging technologies when left unchecked, while also emphasizing their potential benefits.
At Friday’s event, Melania leaned more heavily into the optimistic side of artificial intelligence, stressing how it could democratize creativity.
“For the first time in history, a young girl dreaming of becoming a fashion designer or a young boy imagining his own superhero series can do so from home,” she said.
She told participants that AI now offers the tools to turn creative ideas into reality, from writing scripts to designing fashion and composing music.
“The most powerful skill is knowing what to ask,” Melania said, encouraging young people to think critically about how they use technology and to “harness your imagination.”
After the brief speech concluded, the East Wing distributed a full transcript of her remarks. The portion lost during the muted opening consisted of Melania thanking Zoom leadership for hosting the event.
