An emotional exchange between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has sparked a wave of admiration and support, but it has also provoked ugly incidents of bullying on the internet.

An emotional exchange between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has sparked a wave of admiration and support, but it has also provoked ugly incidents of bullying on the internet.

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The emotional moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has triggered a flood of praise and support, but it has at the same time provoked ugly bullying attacks on the internet.

Gus Walz, who has a nonverbal learning disability, as well as anxiety and ADHD, looked on eagerly from the front seat of Chicago’s United Center and sobbed openly on Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

The governor of Minnesota, was recounting the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, went through to conceive their daughter, Hope.

Walz continued by expressing his love for his family from the stage, stating, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world. And I love you."

Gus Walz rose from his seat, with tears running down his cheeks, pointed his finger and exclaimed, “I love you, Dad.”

The heartwarming moment between father and son, captured on live TV by television cameras, quickly spread online and has largely been received adoringly on the internet and across media outlets.

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 give a speech about the dreams and passion I have for my country, they cry with emotion 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 outstanding, supportive, and caring father every step of the way, ” he wrote. “We should all be so lucky to know a love like that.”

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 done well as a parent when your kids are as proud of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,” she wrote on X. “'That’s my dad.' No three other words better describe our next Vice President. ”

Actress Mia Farrow also commented: “Gosh! When sweet Gus Walz, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face covered in tears of pride, exclaimed 'That’s my dad!' he stole my heart. ”

Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection provoked a wave of snarky and nasty comments from online trolls, primarily MAGA supporters of former President Donald Trump, who faces Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Walz in November.

Right-wing columnist and provocateur Ann Coulter mocked the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird, ” she wrote on X. The post 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 on raising your son to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.”

Alec Lace, a Trump follower who runs a show about fatherhood, took his own shot at the teenager: “Give that kid a tampon already,” he said, in an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law that Walz signed as governor requiring schools to provide free menstrual products to students.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Jay Weber, a conservative Milwaukee radio host, posted a message on X criticizing the Walz family, now removed.

"If the Walz(sic) represent today's American man,


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