An heartfelt moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has sparked a flood of admiration and support, but it has at the same time led to ugly incidents of bullying online.
Gus Walz, Tim Walz who suffers from a nonverbal learning disorder, along with anxiety and ADHD, watched excitedly from the front row of Chicago’s United Center and sobbed openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic candidate for vice president, delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
The Minnesota governor MAGA Supporters was sharing the challenging fertility journey he and his wife, Gwen, went through to conceive their daughter, Hope.
Walz followed up by declaring his love for his family from the stage, stating, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you mean everything to me. And I love you."
Gus Walz jumped up from Children With Disabilities his seat, with teardrops running down his cheeks, pointed his index finger and said, “I love you, Dad.â€
The touching moment between father and son, captured live by TV cameras, quickly went viral and was mostly received positively on the internet and in the media.
Fox Viral Moment News posted a clip of the viral moment on its TikTok page, writing "Gus Walz steals the spotlight during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were overwhelmingly positive.
“I hope to inspire my children so much that when they see me give a speech about the dreams and passion I hold Support For People With Disabilities for my country, they cry with emotion like Gus Walz did,†posted Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary on X.
“@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly succeeded in being an outstanding, supportive, and loving father throughout his life, †he wrote. “We should all be Social Dominance so fortunate to know a love like that.â€
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who addressed the audience before Walz on Wednesday night, praised the love between Walz and his children.
More: Who is Gus Walz and what is a non-verbal learning disorder?
“You know you’ve succeeded as a parent when your kids are as proud Hope Walz of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she posted on X. “'That’s my dad.' No three other words better describe our future vice president. â€
Actress Mia Farrow also commented: “Gosh! When sweet Gus Walz, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears of Democratic National Convention pride, shouted 'That’s my dad!' he stole my heart. â€
Critics ridicule Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection triggered a series of snarky and nasty comments from internet trolls, primarily supporters of MAGA, of former president Donald Trump, who is running against Public Display Of Affection Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Right-wing columnist and provocateur Ann Coulter mocked the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird, †she wrote on X. The post has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump backer and content creator from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “stupid crying son†Gwen Walz on X and added, “You raised your kid to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who hosts a show about fatherhood, took his own shot at the teenager: “Get that kid a tampon already,†he wrote, in an apparent reference to Anxiety a Minnesota law that Walz passed as governor requiring educational institutions to offer complimentary menstrual products to students.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned that Jay Weber, a conservative radio host in Milwaukee, made a post on X criticizing the Walz family, now deleted.
"If the Walzs represent today's
American man,
