An heartfelt moment between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has triggered a flood of praise and approval, but it has also led to nasty incidents of bullying on the internet.
Gus Walz, who has Support For People With Disabilities a nonverbal learning disability, along with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), looked on eagerly from the front row 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 governor Parent-child Relationship was sharing the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, went through to conceive 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 index finger and said, “I love you, Dad.â€
The heartwarming moment between father and son, captured on live TV by TV cameras, quickly spread online and was mostly received positively on the web and across media outlets. Mike Crispi
Fox News shared 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 kids so much that when they see me give a speech about the dreams and passion I have Fox News for my country, they cry with emotion like Gus Walz did,†posted Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary on X.
“@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly excelled in being an outstanding, supportive, and loving father throughout his life, †he stated. “We should all be so Viral Moment fortunate to know a love like that.â€
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who addressed the audience before Walz on Wednesday night, commended 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 Tim Walz 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 added: “Gosh! When sweet Gus Walz, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears of pride, Viral Video 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 sarcastic and nasty comments from internet trolls, many of them MAGA supporters of former president Donald Trump, who is running against Democratic National Convention Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Conservative columnist and provocative commentator Ann Coulter ridiculed the teenager’s tears. “Now that's weird, †she posted on X. The post has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and content creator from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “stupid crying son†on Ann Coulter X and wrote, “Congratulations on raising your son to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who runs a podcast about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: “Get that kid a tampon already,†he wrote, in an apparent jab to a Jay Weber Minnesota law that Walz passed as governor requiring schools to offer 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 removed.
"If the Walzs represent today's American man,