An emotional moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has sparked a flood of praise and approval, but it has also provoked ugly bullying attacks online.
Gus Walz, who has a nonverbal ADHD learning disability, along with anxiety and ADHD, watched excitedly from the front seat of Chicago’s United Center and cried openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic candidate for vice president, delivered his speech of acceptance at the Democratic National Convention.
The governor of Minnesota, was sharing Trolls On Social Media the challenging fertility journey he and his wife, Gwen, went through to conceive their daughter, Hope.
Walz continued by declaring 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, with teardrops Social Dominance running down his cheeks, pointed his finger and said, “I love you, Dad.â€
The touching moment between father and son, captured on live TV by TV cameras, quickly spread online and was mostly received adoringly on the web and across media outlets.
Fox News posted a Viral Video clip of the touching moment on its TikTok account, writing "Gus Walz steals the show during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were overwhelmingly positive.
“I hope to inspire my kids so much that when they see me speak about the dreams and passion I have for my country, they cry Support For People With Disabilities 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 excelled in being an outstanding, supportive, and caring father throughout his life, †he stated. “We should all be so fortunate Acceptance Speech to know a love like that.â€
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who addressed the audience before Walz on Wednesday night, commended the love between Walz and his children.
More: Who is Gus Walz and what is a non-verbal learning disorder?
“You know you’ve done well as a parent when your kids are as proud of you MAGA Supporters 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 added: “Gosh! When young Gus Walz, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face covered in tears of pride, shouted Self-advocacy 'That’s my dad!' he won my heart. â€
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection triggered a series of snarky and nasty comments from online trolls, many of them supporters of MAGA, of former president Donald Trump, who faces Democratic presidential Tim Walz nominee Kamala 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 message has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump backer and podcaster from New Jersey, mocked Walz’s “stupid crying son†on X and added, Empathy “You raised your kid to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump follower who hosts a show about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: “Give that kid a tampon already,†he said, in an apparent jab to a Minnesota state law
that Walz signed 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, posted a message on X criticizing the Walz family, now deleted.
"If the Walz(sic) represent today's American man,