A video shared on Twitter claims North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson purportedly endorsed the writings of 20th-century dictators such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong during a recent speech.

At Moms for Liberty’s Philadelphia event, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) says dictators like Hitler, Stalin and Mao are being taken out of context and promotes reading their writings.

“…It is time for us to get back and start reading some of those quotes.” pic.twitter.com/TDXusaIUMZ

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) July 5, 2023

Verdict: Misleading

The original video of the speech shows that Robinson’s comments were taken out of context. Robinson said quotes from dictators, including Hitler, should be shared so parents can teach their children the “despicable things they did in our history.”

Fact Check:

Robinson announced he would be running for governor of North Carolina during the 2024 election cycle back in April 2023, according to The Associated Press. Robinson has faced scrutiny for comments he’s made on various issues, including the transgender movement, The Guardian reported.

The Twitter video, viewed over four million times, purports Robinson endorsed reading the writings of 20th-century dictators, including Hitler, during a speech he made at a recent Moms for Liberty event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The claim is false, as the original video of Robinson’s speech shows that his comments were taken out of context. (RELATED: No, Moms For Liberty Did Not Tweet Racist Comment)

“Whether you’re talking about Adolf Hitler, whether you’re talking about Chairman Mao, whether you’re talking about Stalin, whether you’re talking about Pol Pot, whether you’re talking about [Fidel] Castro in Cuba, or whether you’re talking about a dozen other despots all around the globe, it is time for us to get back and start reading some of those quotes,” Robinson said.

“It’s time for us to start teaching our children some of those quotes. It’s time for us to start teaching our children about the dirty, despicable, awful things that those communist and socialist despots did in our history,” he continued. Robinson’s comments can be viewed at the video’s 16-minute mark.

After his comments were taken out of context, Robinson also released a statement to his verified Twitter account to address the falsehood.

“Only Lying Leftists would take a speech DENOUNCING dictators, communists, and socialists and try to make it seem like I support them. Despicable,” he wrote.

“It’s time for us to start teaching our children about the dirty, despicable, awful things that those communist and socialist despots did in our history.” ⁰⁰Only Lying Leftists would take a speech DENOUNCING dictators, communists, and socialists and try to make it seem like I… https://t.co/FMIp1VtN8o pic.twitter.com/y4YPwZSvMV

— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) July 5, 2023

Check Your Fact contacted Robinson’s office for comment, and they directed us to the full clip of his remarks with the proper context as well as his Twitter statement.