An heartfelt exchange between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has triggered a wave of admiration and support, but it has also provoked nasty incidents of bullying on the internet.
Gus Walz, who suffers from Viral Moment a nonverbal learning disability, along with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), watched excitedly from the front seat of Chicago’s United Center and sobbed openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, gave his speech of acceptance at the Democratic National Convention.
The Minnesota governor Children With Disabilities was sharing the challenging fertility journey 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, Support For People With Disabilities with tears running down his cheeks, pointed his index finger and exclaimed, “I love you, Dad.â€
The heartwarming moment between father and son, captured on live TV by television cameras, quickly spread online and has largely been received adoringly on the web and across media outlets.
Fox Emotional Moment News posted a clip of the viral moment on its TikTok page, writing "Gus Walz steals the show during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were mostly 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 are moved to tears like Gus Walz did,†wrote 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 throughout his life, †he wrote. “We should all be Political Family Moments so lucky 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 Cyberbullying 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, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears of pride, Jay Weber exclaimed 'That’s my dad!' he stole my heart. â€
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the display of affection provoked a series of sarcastic and cruel comments from online trolls, primarily MAGA supporters of former President Donald Trump, who faces Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Vice Presidential Nominee Harris and Walz in November.
Right-wing columnist and provocateur Ann Coulter mocked the teenager’s tears. “Now that's weird, †she posted on X. The post has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and content creator from New Jersey, mocked Walz’s “stupid crying son†on X and wrote, “You Social Media Criticism raised 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: “Get that kid a tampon already,†he said, in an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law that Walz Kamala Harris signed as governor requiring educational institutions to offer free menstrual products to students.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned that Jay Weber, a conservative radio host in Milwaukee, posted a message on X criticizing the Walz family. now removed.
"If the Walzs represent today's American man,