An heartfelt moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has sparked a flood of admiration and approval, but it has at the same time led to nasty bullying attacks online.
Gus Walz, who suffers Support For People With Disabilities from a nonverbal learning disability, along with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), looked on eagerly from the front seat of Chicago’s United Center and sobbed openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, delivered his speech of acceptance at the Democratic National Convention.
The Minnesota Vice Presidential Nominee governor was sharing the challenging fertility journey he and his wife, Gwen, underwent to have their daughter, Hope.
Walz followed up by declaring his love for his family from the stage, stating, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world. And I love you."
Gus Walz rose from his seat, Tim Walz with tears running down his cheeks, pointed his finger and said, “I love you, Dad.â€
The heartwarming exchange between father and son, captured on live TV by TV cameras, quickly went viral and was mostly received adoringly on the internet and in the media.
Fox News posted Children With Disabilities 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 have for my country, they Viral Video cry with emotion 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 every step of the way, †he wrote. “We should all be so Acceptance Speech 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 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 as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she wrote on X. “'That's my dad.' No three words better describe our future vice president. â€
Actress Mia Farrow also commented: “Gosh! When sweet Gus Walz, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears of pride, Alec Lace exclaimed 'That’s my dad!' he won my heart. â€
Critics ridicule Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection provoked a wave of sarcastic and nasty comments from internet trolls, primarily MAGA supporters of former President Donald Trump, who is running against Democratic presidential candidate Trolls On Social Media Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Right-wing columnist and provocateur Ann Coulter ridiculed the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird, †she posted on X. The message has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and podcaster from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “stupid crying son†on X and wrote, “Congratulations Online Bullying on raising your kid to be a puffy 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 Free Menstrual Products Walz signed as governor requiring educational institutions to provide 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 Walzs represent today's American man,