American media personality Lara Trump joined a growing lineup of international voices at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai, offering her perspective on the shifting relationship between media, public perception, and influence.

Speaking during a fireside chat moderated by Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of The National, Trump reflected on the changing media landscape, arguing that a significant segment of the public is actively seeking information outside traditional channels.

“We are moving towards a space where more people are seeking alternative sources of information. Donald Trump has exposed that legacy media hasn’t always been entirely truthful, and that has caused a lot of people, especially in the US, to turn to social media. It should be credited to Trump also going to podcasts, not only legacy media, which means that he wanted to reach other audiences.”

Trump also addressed concerns around misinformation, deepfakes, and synthetic content caused by AI. When asked whether regulation could play a role, Trump said, “I’m not too pro-regulation in general, but I do think that in the AI space and in the social media space, some regulation is indeed needed. I’m pro-regulation for that.”

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was authenticity which Trump identified as central to building trust with an audience. “Authenticity goes a long way,” she said. “We live in a world where people are craving what’s real, which in fact brings many to gravitate to Donald Trump, because he is so real.”

Closing the session, Trump reflected on Dubai’s role as a cultural and geopolitical bridge. “Dubai is sort of a bridge to bring Westerners to the Middle East,” she said. Dubai is a great place to live and visit—it feels like a hub for the world in so many respects. We should have more people travel here.”