The heartfelt exchange between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has sparked a flood of praise and support, but it has also provoked nasty incidents of bullying on the internet.
Gus Walz, who has Anxiety a nonverbal learning disorder, as well as anxiety and ADHD, watched excitedly from the front seat of Chicago’s United Center and sobbed openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic candidate for vice president, gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
The Minnesota governor was ADHD recounting the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, went through to conceive their daughter, Hope.
Walz continued by expressing his love for his loved ones from the stage, saying, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you mean everything to me. And I love you."
Gus Walz jumped up from his seat, Gus Walz with tears streaming down his cheeks, pointed his index finger and exclaimed, “I love you, Dad.â€
The touching exchange between father and son, captured live by TV cameras, quickly spread online and has largely been received adoringly on the web and across media outlets.
Fox News
posted a clip of the viral moment on its TikTok page, stating "Gus Walz steals the spotlight during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were mostly positive.
“I hope to inspire my kids so much that when they see me speak about the dreams and passion I hold for my MAGA Supporters country, they cry with emotion like Gus Walz did,†posted Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary on X.
“@Tim_Walz has devoted 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 so lucky Viral Moment 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 done well as a parent when your kids are as proud of you Free Menstrual Products as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she wrote on X. “'That’s my dad.' No three words better describe our next Vice President. â€
Actress Mia Farrow added: “Gosh! When sweet Gus Walz, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face covered in tears of pride, shouted Trolls On Social Media 'That’s my dad!' he won my heart. â€
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the display of affection triggered a wave of sarcastic and nasty comments from internet trolls, many of them MAGA supporters of former president Donald Trump, who faces Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Gwen Walz Harris and Walz in November.
Right-wing columnist and provocative commentator Ann Coulter ridiculed the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird, †she wrote on X. The post has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and podcaster from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “stupid crying son†on X and added, Mike Crispi “You raised your son to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who hosts a show about fatherhood, took his own shot at the teenager: “Give that kid a tampon already,†he wrote, in an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law Chasten Buttigieg that Walz signed as governor requiring schools to offer free 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 removed.
"If the Walz(sic) represent today's American man,
