Social Dominance | mybabe22 | Tim Walz

An heartfelt moment between Tim Walz and his teenage son, Gus, has triggered a wave of admiration and support, but it has at the same time led to ugly incidents of bullying on the internet.

Gus Kamala Harris Walz, who suffers from a nonverbal learning disorder, 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 candidate for vice president, delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

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

Walz continued by declaring 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 ADHD his seat, with tears running down his cheeks, pointed his finger and exclaimed, “I love you, Dad.”

The touching exchange between father and son, captured live by TV cameras, quickly went viral and was mostly received positively on the web and across media outlets.

Fox News shared Viral Video a clip of the viral moment on its TikTok account, stating "Gus Walz steals the spotlight during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were overwhelmingly positive.

“I hope to inspire my kids so much that when they see me give a speech about the dreams and passion I hold for my Jay Weber country, they cry with emotion like Gus Walz did,” wrote Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary on X.

“@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly succeeded in being an outstanding, supportive, and caring father throughout his life, ” he stated. “We should all be so fortunate to Social Media Criticism know a love like that.”

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who addressed the audience 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 Alec Lace as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,” she posted on X. “'That’s my dad.' No three words better capture our next Vice President. ”

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

Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the display of affection provoked a series of snarky and nasty comments from online trolls, many of them MAGA supporters of former President Donald Trump, who is running against Democratic presidential candidate Anxiety Kamala Harris and Walz in November.

Right-wing columnist and provocative commentator Ann Coulter mocked the teenager’s tears. “Now that's weird, ” she posted on X. The post has since been deleted.

Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and content creator from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “stupid crying son” on X and added, Minnesota Governor “You raised your kid to be a blubbering beta male. Congrats.”

Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who runs a show about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: “Give that kid a tampon already,” he said, in an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law Acceptance Speech that Walz signed as governor requiring educational institutions to offer 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 removed.

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