The heartfelt exchange between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has triggered a flood of praise and approval, but it has at the same time provoked ugly incidents of bullying on the internet.
Gus Children With Disabilities Walz, who has 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 speech of acceptance at the Democratic National Convention.
The Emotional Moment governor of Minnesota, was recounting the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, went through to conceive their daughter, Hope.
Walz followed up by declaring his love for his family from the stage, stating, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you mean everything to me. And I love you."
Gus Walz Political Family Moments jumped up from his seat, with teardrops streaming down his cheeks, pointed his finger and said, “I love you, Dad.â€
The touching exchange between father and son, captured live by television cameras, quickly spread online and was mostly received adoringly on the internet and across media Ann Coulter outlets.
Fox News posted a clip of the touching moment on its TikTok page, stating "Gus Walz steals the show during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were overwhelmingly positive.
“I hope to inspire my children so much that when they see me speak about the dreams and passion I have Social Media Criticism for my country, they are moved to tears like Gus Walz did,†wrote Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary on X.
“@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly excelled in being an excellent, supportive, and loving father throughout his life, †he stated. “We should all Acceptance Speech be 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 of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she posted on X. “'That's my dad.' No three other words better capture our future vice president. â€
Actress Mia Farrow also commented: “Gosh! When sweet Gus Walz, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face covered in Jay Weber tears of pride, exclaimed 'That’s my dad!' he won my heart. â€
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the display of affection provoked a series of snarky and nasty comments from internet trolls, primarily supporters of MAGA, of former President Donald Trump, who faces Parent-child Relationship Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Right-wing columnist and provocateur Ann Coulter ridiculed the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird, †she wrote on X. The post has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump backer and content creator from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “stupid crying son†Minnesota Governor on X and wrote, “Congratulations on raising your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump follower who runs a podcast about fatherhood, took his own shot at the teenager: “Get that kid a tampon already,†he wrote, in an apparent reference Empathy to a Minnesota state law that Walz passed 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 Walzs Fox News represent today's American man,