I almost wrote a post today based on something Heather Cox Richardson wrote, but in the end decided not to. There are some people who say it better than anyone could, and I just wouldn’t be able to better it. I’d just get in the way.
Dr. Richardson is part of a select club of educators who not only know their stuff but can say it in plain English. Which isn’t easy at all. She manages to help us understand not only why it matters, but how it happened and what to pay attention to. The ability to take all that complexity and put it together in a way that makes sense isn’t common at all. Prof Robert Pape‘s Escalation Trap is comprehensive but also comprehensible. Ben Meiselas at MeidasTouch Network can lead you through legalese without leaving you muddled on the other side.
Which is probably why it struck me as funny that a story making the rounds on Facebook invented an entire speech Richardson never gave. Complete with an invented insult attributed to Erika Kirk and the pregnant pause that followed in a waiting and expectant room. According to Snopes, the whole confrontation never happened. [1]
Another disinformation trick worth heeding: is simply: if you like someone or something, you may be inclined to repeat falsehoods that cast that person or thing in a favorable light. Case in point: a story debunked by Snopes in which Erika Kirk, the head of Turning Point USA, supposedly tells historian Heather Cox Richardson, “Sit down, you 63-year-old academic.” [1]
Then comes a fictional speech about the value of age and experience and all that you have brought to this world in your lifetime. [1]
In the fake story, Kirk delivers the insult in front of an auditorium that falls silent. Richardson raises an eyebrow, tilts her head and smiles before picking up the microphone for her speech (how’s that for specific stage directions and facial expressions). Snopes couldn’t find legitimate reporting on the supposed encounter. It also found an “AI content” disclosure under the Facebook poster’s name and a link from the post to an ad-riddled blog. Snopes rated the encounter false. [1]
But the story has an obvious appeal if you admire Richardson. It gives a woman you respect the opportunity to answer somebody who has publicly belittled her because of her age. Some readers may even relate personally, enough to overlook the absence of a date or time for the supposed encounter. [1] By sharing it, though, you would be attaching a fake speech to a real person and sending traffic to a site filled with ads. Richardson has plenty of real speeches worth listening to, ok?, thank you very much.
And Snopes found some previous examples, all false. One involved Donald Trump telling Pope Leo XIV to sit down, and another involved Barron Trump telling astronaut Christina Koch to sit down. [1] “Sit down” is the key. Change out the characters and the story can reach different audiences. This Richardson version has an age-based insult and a speech about what all those years have meant. [1]
What do you think might happen if somebody took the speech and reposted it? Maybe took a screenshot (without the AI disclosure) and shared that? Now it has been decontextualized, and people seeing the screenshot may have no idea where the words actually came from. The invented speech can travel far and wide without that disclosure attached. And following links to other people reposting the fake won’t establish that Richardson ever made those comments.
If you want to repost something as coming from someone, please just make sure they actually said or did it. Out of respect for Richardson, you should be able to point to her own writing or a video of her saying the words you’re passing along.
I actually toyed with the idea of writing about Richardson’s piece because I enjoy reading and listening to her stuff. She does such a good job of explaining things in plain English that, in the end, I decided she’d said it well enough herself.
It occurs to me that there’s plenty for those of us who admire Richardson to share without helping some stranger put words in her mouth. If you shared that fabricated Facebook story, you can always go back and post a correction.
That’s part of the work I’m asking you to help keep going here at XVOA. Keeping up with a 24-hour news cycle takes time. I pay for app subscriptions and access to multiple publications so I can chase down stories like the false one about Richardson.
To everyone who has already subscribed or pitched in through Buy Me a Coffee, thank you. XVOA is where it is because of you.
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Sources
Nur Ibrahim, “Did Erika Kirk confront Heather Cox Richardson during panel?”, Snopes, October 13, 2026. Reporting on the fabricated encounter, the AI-content disclosure, the linked blog, and the earlier false stories involving Pope Leo XIV and Christina Koch.
I'm afraid I can only pass your words along for now, but thank you for being so diligent.
U appreciate your writing. Im retired on social security and am a paid subscriber of HCR. Wish I could finacially upport you and other Truth Tellers on Substack.