Dubai: In a fireside chat on the second day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit 2026, Lara Trump, political figure, media personality, and artist, praised Dubai for combining culture, elegance, and safety, noting that the city serves as a key attraction for Westerners to the Middle East.
According to Emirates News Agency, Trump, host of "My View with Lara Trump" on Fox News, addressed an audience at the summit in Dubai, which gathers over 15,000 content creators globally and more than 500 expert speakers with a collective following of 3.5 billion. She remarked that Dubai has made Americans and Westerners feel more welcome in the Middle East and highlighted the UAE's rapid development as a model for the region.
Trump discussed her experiences as part of the Trump family and the benefits and risks of the digital media scene. She emphasized the impact of technological advancements on legacy media, noting that social media offers alternative information sources amid diminishing public trust in traditional outlets. Hosting her podcast "The Right View" has allowed her to engage directly with broader audiences.
She criticized legacy media in the United States for its lack of complete truthfulness, urging journalists to be transparent and disclose factors affecting their objectivity. While acknowledging the connectivity fostered by social media, Trump warned of the dangers of deepfakes and misinformation in the age of artificial intelligence.
Trump advocated for global regulation of AI and social media to protect children online, commending Australia and France for restricting minors' access to social media. She also expressed concerns about disinformation spreading ahead of the US midterm elections in November.
Amid a fragmented media landscape shaped by echo chambers, Trump emphasized the importance of recognizing commonalities over divisions. As co-chair of the Republican National Committee for Donald Trump's 2024 election campaign, she focused on reaching audiences disagreeing with the party.
Trump advocated for consuming news from diverse sources, including independent journalists, while acknowledging the risks of misinformation. She believes broad media consumption and cautious openness to technologies like generative AI are necessary in an evolving information landscape.
Reflecting on her experiences, Trump noted the shift in public perception of her family, welcoming criticism as a sign of impact. She emphasized that the opinions of those who truly know her matter most, dismissing other criticism as noise.
The 1 Billion Followers Summit 2026, organized by the UAE Government Media Office, is taking place from 9 to 11 January 2026 at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, DIFC, and the Museum of the Future, under the theme "Content for Good."