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

CHICAGO — An impromptu, tearful moment between Tim Waltz and his 17-year-old son Gus has earned praise and admiration as well as nasty online bullying. Gus Wald, who has a nonverbal learning disability, anxiety and ADHD, watched anxiously from the front row of Chicago's United Center Wednesday night as his father, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. , and wept openly. . The Minnesota governor has spoken openly about the difficult fertility treatment he and his wife Gwen endured to conceive their daughter Hope. More: Tim Waltz's son Gus has a learning disability. Can your visibility help Americans with disabilities?

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Waltz later expressed his love for his family on stage, saying, “Hope, Gus and Gwen, you mean the world to me. i love you

Gus Walt jumped out of his seat, tears streaming down his face, pointed his index finger and said, "I love you, dad," and then said, "That's my dad!"

The touching moment between father and son was captured live on television and quickly went viral, garnering critical acclaim both online and on television.

Fox News shared a clip of the viral moment on its TikTok page, writing, "Gus Waltz stole the show during his father's acceptance speech. The comments were mostly positive." Chestnut Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, wrote on Sometimes, like Gus Waltz, they will be moved to tears.

"@Tim_Walz has dedicated his life to service and has clearly gone above and beyond to be a wonderful, supportive and loving father every step of the way," he wrote. "We should all be happy to know such love."

But the display of emotion sparked an avalanche of mean and nasty comments on social media, many of them from supporters of former President Donald Trump, who is set to face Democratic presidential candidates Kamal Harris and Waltz in November.

Conservative journalist and right-wing bigot Anna Coulter mocked the teen's tears. "We talked about weird stuff," she wrote on X, which has since been deleted. Trump supporter and New Jersey podcast host Mike Crispi mocked Waltz's "stupid whiny son" on X, adding, "You're raising your son to be a bloated test guy. Congratulations.

Trump supporter Alex Leis, who hosts a podcast about parenting, also chided the teen: "Give that baby a tampon," he wrote to Dow, apparently referring to a Minnesota law signed by Walz as governor that requires schools to provide free period products for students. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that conservative Milwaukee radio host Jay Weber wrote a now-deleted post on the X website criticizing the Walz family.

"If the waltz (sic) represents the American man today, the country is confused: "Meet my son Gus. He is a crying boy. His mother and I are very proud.

After the post was deleted, Weber apologized and stated that he didn't know Gus had a learning disability. USA TODAY reached out to Walz's campaign, but they declined to comment.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang issued a statement to USA Today, saying the campaign is "focused on holding Walz and Harris accountable for their dangerous liberal policies that harm America." This does not apply to bullying posts. In 2015, Trump was criticized for mocking a disabled New York Times reporter. Critics say Trump's mockery could encourage others to do the same.

More: 'That's my dad!': Gus Waltz gets emotional during Tim Waltz's DNC speech

"As parents, it's heartbreaking to see our children treated so cruelly," Ecclestone said. “When kids like Gus are being bullied, it's so important to surround them with love, validate their feelings, and remind them that the hurtful opinions of others don't define their worth. Families should use these public experiences to encourage open conversations about feelings with the goal of helping children develop strong self-advocacy skills and a healthy sense of self.

Anne Strober, whose son has autism, said Gus Walz's bullying was despicable.

"To me, it just represents the dehumanization of a lot of people," she said. “With social media now, a lot of people feel very emboldened to be behind a keyboard and be able to say what they need to say with some anonymity, whether it's in person or online, it still hurts. There is nowhere to put it.

Strober, who lives in North Potomac, Maryland and works with parents, said public schools often fail to stop bullying, so parents worried about their children's safety often withdraw their children or choose to homeschool.

She said: "Children should not be bullied, especially by adults, regardless of the political party their parents belong to." "Gus won't see all their hateful rhetoric, but the other kids will. It's absolutely painful for them and their families."

INFO: Usatoday