An heartfelt exchange between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has triggered a wave of praise and support, but it has at the...
An heartfelt exchange between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has triggered a wave of praise and support, but it has at the same time led to nasty incidents of bullying on the internet.
Gus Parent-child Relationship Walz, who has a nonverbal learning disorder, as well as anxiety and ADHD, watched excitedly from the front seat of Chicagoâs United Center and cried openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic candidate for vice president, delivered his speech of acceptance at the Democratic National Convention.
The governor Kamala Harris of Minnesota, was recounting the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, went through to have their daughter, Hope.
Walz continued by declaring his love for his family from the stage, saying, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world. And I love you."
Gus Walz rose from his
seat, with tears streaming down his cheeks, pointed his index finger and said, âI love you, Dad.â
The heartwarming moment between father and son, captured on live TV by television cameras, quickly went viral and was mostly received positively on the internet and across media outlets.
Fox Mike Crispi News shared a video of the touching moment on its TikTok page, stating "Gus Walz steals the show during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were mostly positive.
âI hope to inspire my children so much that when they see me give a speech about the dreams and passion I hold Gus Walz for my country, they cry with emotion like Gus Walz did,â wrote Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, on X.
â@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly excelled in being an excellent, supportive, and loving father every step of the way, â he wrote. âWe Support For People With Disabilities should all be 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 is a non-verbal learning disorder?
âYou know youâve done well as a parent when your kids are as Trolls On Social Media proud of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,â she posted on X. â'That's my dad.' No three other words better describe our next Vice President. â
Actress Mia Farrow also commented: âGosh! When sweet Gus Walz, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face covered in tears of Tim Walz pride, shouted 'Thatâs my dad!' he stole my heart. â
Critics ridicule Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the display of affection triggered a wave of sarcastic and cruel comments from internet trolls, primarily supporters of MAGA, of former President Donald Trump, who is running against MAGA Supporters Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Right-wing columnist and provocative commentator Ann Coulter mocked the teenagerâs tears. âNow that's weird, â she wrote on X. The message has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and content creator from New Jersey, mocked Walzâs âstupid crying sonâ on Social Dominance X and wrote, âYou raised your kid to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.â
Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who hosts a podcast about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: âGive that kid a tampon already,â he wrote, in an apparent reference to a Minnesota Acceptance Speech law that Walz passed 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, posted a message on X criticizing the Walz family, now deleted.
"If the Walz(sic) represent today's American man,