Gus Walz broke the internet with his tearful love for his dad. Then the bullying began

CHICAGO – A tearful, unscripted moment between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has unleashed a flood of praise and admiration – but also prompted ugly online bullying.

Gus Walz, who has a nonverbal learning disorder as well as anxiety and ADHD, watched excitedly from the front row of Chicago’s United Center and sobbed openly Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic nominee 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 conceive their daughter, Hope.

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

Gus Walz jumped up from his seat, tears on his face, pointed his index finger and said, “I love you, Dad,” followed soon after with "That's my dad!"

The touching moment between father and son, captured live by television cameras, went viral and has largely been received adoringly on the internet and the airwaves.

Fox News shared a clip of the viral moment on its TikTok page, writing "Gus Walz steals 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 of the dreams and passion I have for my country they are moved to tears like Gus Walz was,” Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, wrote on X.

“@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly exceeded in being an excellent, supportive, and loving father every step of the way,” he wrote. “We should all be so lucky to know a love like that.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who spoke before Walz 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 words better describe our next Vice President.”

Actress Mia Farrow added: “Gosh! When young Gus Walz, adorable son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face streaming tears of pride shouted ‘That’s my dad’ he won my heart.”

Trump supporter and podcaster dismisses Gus Walz as 'puffy beta male'

But the show of affection triggered a swath of snark and ugly comments on social media, many from MAGA supporters of former President Donald Trump, who faces Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Walz in November.

Conservative columnist and right-wing provocateur Ann Coulter mocked the teenager’s tears. “Talk about weird,” she wrote on X. The message has since been deleted.

Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and podcaster from New Jersey, mocked Walz’s “stupid crying son” on X and added, “You raised your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.”

Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who hosts a podcast about fatherhood, took his own swipe at the teenager: “Get that kid a tampon already,” he wrote, an apparent reference to a Minnesota state law that Walz signed as governor in that required schools to provide free menstrual supplies to students.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Jay Weber, a conservative Milwaukee radio host, made a now-deleted post on X criticizing the Walz family.

"If the Walzs (sic) represent today's American man, this country is screwed: 'Meet my son, Gus. He's a blubbering b---- boy. His mother and I are very proud'."

After removing the post, Weber apologized and claimed he didn't know Gus had a learning disability.

USA TODAY reached out to the Walz campaign, which declined to comment.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung released a statement to USA TODAY that said the campaign "is focused on holding Walz and Harris accountable for their dangerously liberal policies that are bad for America." It didn't address the bullying posts.

Trump came under fire in 2015 after he appeared to mock a New York Times reporter with a disability. Critics said Trump's taunts could encourage others to engage in similar behavior.

Posts reflect bullying kids face constantly, advocates say

Advocates for children with learning disabilities were outraged by the venom directed at the Walz family.

“What we're seeing with the bullying of Gus Walz online isn't just cruel – it's a painful reminder of what kids with disabilities face every single day,” said Katy Neas, chief executive officer of The Arc of the United States, a Washington-based nonprofit advocacy group for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Children with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than their peers, Neas said.

“That means our society is teaching countless kids with disabilities that they are somehow less than because of factors outside of their control, including emotional expression and disability,” she said. “What's worse is that bullying can have a direct impact on their academic achievement, which in turn means fewer opportunities as adults. We're failing these kids when we don't understand or value their experiences.”

Research shows that bullying behavior often stems from a combination of factors, such as a desire for social dominance, a lack of empathy, or modeling of aggressive behaviors at home, said Kristen Eccleston, a former special education teacher and advocate for children with social-emotional needs.

“Children with learning disabilities are especially vulnerable because bullies may perceive them as ‘easy targets’ due to their struggles with communication or social skills," said Eccleston, who works for the Weinfeld Education Group, which is based in Bethesda, Maryland, and works with parents to ensure that their children have the supports and services they need.

More: 'That's my dad!': Gus Walz has emotional reaction during Tim Walz's DNC speech

“As parents, it's heartbreaking to see our children suffer from such cruelty,” Eccleston said. “In moments like Gus', where a child is being bullied, it's crucial to surround them with love, validate their emotions, and remind them that the hurtful opinions of others do not determine their worth. Families should use these public experiences to foster open dialogue about emotions, with the goal of helping their child develop strong self-advocacy skills and a healthy sense of self.”

Anne Strober, whose son has autism, said the bullying Gus Walz is facing is despicable.

“For me, it just represents how a lot of people have lost their humanity,” she said. “You have a lot of people, now with social media, who feel very emboldened because they’re behind their keyboards and they can just say what they need to say and with a degree of anonymity. It’s still hurtful whether it’s face to face or it’s online. There’s no place for it.”

Public schools often aren’t able to stop acts of bullying, so parents who fear for their children’s safety often pull them out of school or choose to home-school them, said Strober, who lives in North Potomac, Maryland, and works with parents through the Weinfeld Education Group.

"Children should be off limits to bullying, especially by adults, no matter what political party their parents belong to,” she said. "Gus isn't going to see all of their hateful comments, but other kids will. And it will absolutely hurt them and their families.”

Contributing: Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gus Walz's tears melted hearts at the DNC. Critics called it unmanly