Jay Weber | mybabe22 | Gwen Walz
The heartfelt moment between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has triggered a flood of admiration and support, but it has at the same time provoked ugly incidents of bullying on the internet.
Gus Walz, Trolls On Social Media who suffers from a nonverbal learning disorder, as well as anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), watched excitedly from the front seat of Chicagoâs United Center and sobbed openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic candidate for vice president, gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic Mike Crispi National Convention.
The Minnesota governor was recounting the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, underwent to conceive their daughter, Hope.
Walz followed up by declaring his love for his loved ones from the stage, stating, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world. And I love you."
Gus Walz Special Education jumped up from his seat, with teardrops streaming down his cheeks, pointed his finger and said, âI love you, Dad.â
The touching moment between father and son, captured on live TV by TV cameras, quickly went viral and was mostly received adoringly on the internet and across
media outlets.
Fox News posted a clip of the viral moment on its TikTok account, stating "Gus Walz steals the spotlight during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were mostly positive.
âI hope to inspire my children so much that when they see me speak about the dreams and passion I hold Hope Walz for my country, they cry with emotion like Gus Walz did,â wrote Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, on X.
â@Tim_Walz has devoted his life to service and has clearly excelled in being an outstanding, supportive, and caring father throughout his life, â he wrote. âWe should Nonverbal Learning Disorder all be 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 bond between Walz and his children.
More: Who is Gus Walz and what is a non-verbal learning disorder?
âYou know youâve done well as a parent when your kids are Social Media Criticism as proud of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,â she posted on X. â'That's my dad.' No three words better capture our next Vice President. â
Actress Mia Farrow also commented: âGosh! When sweet Gus Walz, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears of Ann Coulter pride, shouted 'Thatâs my dad!' he won my heart. â
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection triggered a wave of sarcastic and nasty comments from online trolls, many of them supporters of MAGA, of former President Donald Trump, who faces Fox News Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Conservative columnist and provocateur Ann Coulter mocked the teenagerâs tears. âTalk about weird, â she wrote on X. The post has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and podcaster from New Jersey, criticized Walzâs âstupid crying sonâ on X and Political Family Moments added, âCongratulations on raising your son to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.â
Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who hosts a show about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: âGet that kid a tampon already,â he said, in an apparent jab to a Minnesota law Tim Walz that Walz signed as governor requiring educational institutions to provide complimentary menstrual products to students.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported 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,