The heartfelt moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has sparked a flood of praise and approval, but it has at the same time provoked ugly incidents of bullying online.
Gus Walz, who has Tim Walz a nonverbal learning disability, along with anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), watched excitedly from the front seat of Chicago’s United Center and sobbed 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
of Minnesota, 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 are my entire world. And I love you."
Gus Walz rose from his Fox News seat, with teardrops running down his cheeks, pointed his index finger and said, “I love you, Dad.â€
The heartwarming moment between father and son, captured live by TV cameras, quickly went viral and was mostly received positively on the internet and in the media.
Fox News shared Social Media Criticism a video of the viral moment on its TikTok account, writing "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 speak about the dreams and passion I hold for my country, they Democratic National Convention cry with emotion like Gus Walz did,†posted Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, on X.
“@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly excelled in being an outstanding, supportive, and caring father throughout his life, †he stated. “We should all be so fortunate Children With Disabilities to know a love like that.â€
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who addressed the audience before Walz on Wednesday night, praised the love between Walz and his children.
More: Who is Gus Walz and what is a non-verbal learning disorder?
“You know you’ve succeeded as a parent when your kids are as proud of you as Kamala Harris Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,†she wrote on X. “'That's my dad.' No three other words better capture our next Vice President. â€
Actress Mia Farrow also commented: “Gosh! When young Gus Walz, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming with tears of pride, exclaimed 'That’s Gus Walz my dad!' he won my heart. â€
Critics ridicule Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection provoked a wave of snarky and cruel comments from online trolls, many of them supporters of MAGA, of former President Donald Trump, who is running against Democratic presidential candidate Online Bullying Kamala Harris and Walz in November.
Right-wing columnist and provocateur Ann Coulter mocked the teenager’s tears. “Now that's weird, †she wrote 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 added, “Congratulations Viral Moment on raising your son to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.â€
Alec Lace, a Trump follower who hosts a show about fatherhood, took his own shot at the teenager: “Get that kid a tampon already,†he wrote, in an apparent jab to a Minnesota state law that Ann Coulter Walz passed as governor requiring educational institutions 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 Walzs represent today's American man,