An heartfelt moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has triggered a wave of praise and approval, but it has also led to nasty bullying attacks on the internet.
Gus Walz, who suffers from Jay Weber a nonverbal learning disability, as well as anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), watched excitedly from the front row of Chicago’s United Center and cried 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 Viral Video was sharing the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, underwent to conceive their daughter, Hope.
Walz followed up by expressing his love for his family from the stage, saying, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you mean everything to me. And I love you."
Gus Walz jumped up from his seat, Children With Disabilities with teardrops running down his cheeks, pointed his finger and exclaimed, “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 positively on the web and across media outlets.
Fox News posted
a video of the touching moment on its TikTok page, writing "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 speak about the dreams and passion I hold for my country, they Democratic National Convention are moved to tears 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 loving father every step of the way, †he stated. “We should all be Kamala Harris so fortunate 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 does having a non-verbal learning disorder mean?
“You know you’ve done well as a parent when your kids are as proud Viral Moment of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she wrote on X. “'That's my dad.' No three words better describe our next Vice President. â€
Actress Mia Farrow added: “Gosh! When young Gus Walz, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears of pride, shouted Self-advocacy 'That’s my dad!' he won my heart. â€
Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the display of affection triggered a wave of snarky and nasty comments from online trolls, many of them supporters of MAGA, of former President Donald Trump, who is running against Democratic MAGA Supporters presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Right-wing 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 backer and podcaster from New Jersey, mocked Walz’s “crybaby son†on X and added, Support For People With Disabilities “You raised your kid to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump follower 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 ADHD that Walz signed as governor requiring educational institutions to provide free menstrual products to students.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned that Jay Weber, a conservative Milwaukee radio host, made a post on X criticizing the Walz family. now removed.
"If the Walz(sic) represent today's American man,