The heartfelt moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has triggered a flood of praise and support, but it has at the same time provoked ugly incidents of bullying online.
Gus Walz, who suffers Social Dominance from a nonverbal learning disability, along with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), watched excitedly from the front row of Chicago’s United Center and cried openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
The Minnesota governor Anxiety was recounting the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, went through to have their daughter, Hope.
Walz followed up by expressing his love for his family from the stage, saying, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world. And I love you."
Gus Walz jumped up from his seat, Gus Walz with teardrops streaming down his cheeks, pointed his index finger and exclaimed, “I love you, Dad.â€
The heartwarming moment between father and son, captured live by television cameras, quickly went viral and was mostly received positively on the web and in the media.
Fox News posted Political Family Moments a video of the touching moment on its TikTok account, stating "Gus Walz steals the show during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were overwhelmingly positive.
“I hope to inspire my children so much that when they see me speak about the dreams and passion I hold for my country, they cry Chasten Buttigieg with emotion like Gus Walz did,†posted Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, on X.
“@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly succeeded in being an excellent, supportive, and caring father every step of the way, †he stated. “We should all be so fortunate
to know a love like that.â€
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who spoke before Walz on Wednesday night, praised the love between Walz and his children.
More: Who is Gus Walz and what does having a non-verbal learning disorder mean?
“You know you’ve succeeded as a parent when your kids are as proud of you Democratic National Convention as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she posted on X. “'That’s my dad.' No three words better capture our next Vice President. â€
Actress Mia Farrow added: “Gosh! When sweet Gus Walz, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears of pride, exclaimed 'That’s my Social Media Criticism dad!' he won my heart. â€
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the display of affection provoked a series of sarcastic and nasty comments from internet trolls, many of them MAGA supporters of former President Donald Trump, who is running against Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris Ann Coulter and Walz in November.
Conservative columnist and provocative commentator Ann Coulter ridiculed the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird, †she wrote on X. The message has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump backer and content creator from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “crybaby son†on X and wrote, “Congratulations on Cyberbullying raising your kid to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who runs a podcast about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: “Give that kid a tampon already,†he wrote, in an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law that Walz Vice Presidential Nominee passed as governor requiring educational institutions to provide free menstrual products to students.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Jay Weber, a conservative Milwaukee radio host, posted a message on X criticizing the Walz family. now removed.
"If the Walz(sic) represent today's American man,