An heartfelt exchange between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has sparked a flood of praise and approval, but it has at the same time led to ugly bullying attacks on the internet.
Gus Walz, Anxiety who suffers from a nonverbal learning disorder, along with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (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, gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Gus Walz Convention.
The Minnesota governor was sharing the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, underwent to conceive their daughter, Hope.
Walz continued by declaring 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 rose from Alec Lace his seat, with teardrops streaming down his cheeks, pointed his finger and said, “I love you, Dad.â€
The heartwarming exchange between father and son, captured live by TV cameras, quickly spread online and was mostly received adoringly on the web and across media outlets.
Fox News posted ADHD a video of the touching moment on its TikTok account, stating "Gus Walz steals the spotlight during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were mostly positive.
“I hope to inspire my children so much that when they see me give a speech about the dreams and passion I have for my Children With Disabilities country, they cry with emotion like Gus Walz did,†posted 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 all be so lucky to Tim Walz 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 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 Support For People With Disabilities as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she posted on X. “'That’s my dad.' No three words better describe our future vice president. â€
Actress Mia Farrow also commented: “Gosh! When young Gus Walz, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face covered in tears of pride, shouted Online Bullying 'That’s my dad!' he stole my heart. â€
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection triggered a wave of sarcastic and cruel comments from online trolls, primarily supporters of MAGA, of former President Donald Trump, who faces Democratic presidential nominee 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 message has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump backer and podcaster from New Jersey, mocked Walz’s “stupid crying son†on X and wrote, “Congratulations on raising Empathy your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump follower who hosts a podcast about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: “Get that kid a tampon already,†he said, in an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law that Walz signed Self-advocacy as governor requiring educational institutions to provide complimentary 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,
