The emotional exchange between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has sparked a flood of praise and support, but it has also provoked nasty bullying attacks online.
Gus Walz, who has a nonverbal Alec Lace learning disorder, as well as 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, delivered his speech of acceptance at the Democratic National Convention.
The governor of Minnesota, Social Media Criticism was recounting the challenging fertility journey he and his wife, Gwen, went through to have their daughter, Hope.
Walz followed up 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, with teardrops streaming down his cheeks, pointed his finger and said, “I love you, Dad.â€
The touching exchange between father and son, captured on live TV by television cameras, quickly went viral and was mostly received positively on the internet and in the media. Support For People With Disabilities
Fox News posted a clip of the touching moment on its TikTok account, stating "Gus Walz steals the spotlight during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were overwhelmingly positive.
“I hope to inspire my children so much that when they see me give a speech about the dreams and passion I Anxiety have for my country, they are moved to tears like Gus Walz did,†wrote Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary on X.
“@Tim_Walz has devoted his life to service and has clearly succeeded in being an outstanding, supportive, and loving father throughout his life, †he stated. “We should Nonverbal Learning Disorder all be so lucky to know a love like that.â€
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who spoke 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 Cyberbullying proud of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she wrote 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, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears Jay Weber of pride, shouted 'That’s my dad!' he won my heart. â€
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection provoked a series of snarky and nasty comments from online trolls, many of them supporters of MAGA, of former President Donald Trump, who Gus Walz faces Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Conservative columnist and provocative commentator 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 backer and podcaster from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “stupid crying son†MAGA Supporters on X and wrote, “You raised your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who runs a podcast about fatherhood, took his own shot at the teenager: “Give that kid a tampon already,†he wrote, in an apparent reference Parent-child Relationship to a Minnesota state law that Walz passed as governor requiring educational institutions to offer free menstrual products to students.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned that Jay Weber, a conservative Milwaukee radio host, posted a message on X criticizing the Walz family, now deleted.
"If the Walz(sic) represent Viral Video today's American man,
