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 provoked ugly incidents of bullying on the internet.
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 provoked ugly incidents of bullying on the internet.
Blog Article
An heartfelt exchange between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has sparked a wave of praise and approval, but it has at the same time provoked ugly incidents of bullying online.
Gus Walz, who suffers from a nonverbal learning disability, along with anxiety and ADHD, watched excitedly from the front row of Chicago’s United Center and cried openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic candidate for vice president, delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
The Minnesota governor 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 loved ones from the stage, stating, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you mean everything to me. And I love you."
Gus Walz rose from his seat, with teardrops streaming down his cheeks, pointed his finger and exclaimed, “I love you, Dad.”
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 in the media.
Fox News shared a video of the viral moment on its TikTok account, writing "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 speak about the dreams and passion I 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 excelled in being an outstanding, supportive, and caring father every step of the way, ” he wrote. “We should all be so fortunate to know a love like that.”
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who spoke 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 proud of you 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. ”
Actress Mia Farrow added: “Gosh! When young Gus Walz, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face covered in tears of pride, exclaimed 'That’s my dad!' he won my heart. ”
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 faces Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Conservative columnist and provocative commentator Ann Coulter ridiculed the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird, ” she wrote on X. The post has since been deleted.
Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and podcaster from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “crybaby son” on X and added, “Congratulations on raising your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.”
Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who runs a show about fatherhood, took his own shot at the teenager: “Give that kid a tampon already,” he wrote, in an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law that Walz passed as governor requiring schools to provide complimentary menstrual products to students.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Jay Weber, a conservative radio host in Milwaukee, posted a message on X criticizing the Walz family. now removed.
"If the Walz(sic) represent today's American man,
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