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

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

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

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, who has a nonverbal learning disorder as well as anxiety and ADHD, watched excitedly from the front row of Chicago’s ******* 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

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he and his wife, Gwen, went through to conceive their daughter, Hope.

More: Tim Walz’s son Gus has a learning disorder. Can his visibility help disabled Americans?

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 streaming down his cheeks, pointed his index finger and said, “I love you, Dad.”

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Gus, the son of U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, reacts on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the ******* Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 21, 2024.

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

Fox News

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, 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.”

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who spoke before Walz Wednesday night, praised the love between Walz and his children.

More:

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“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.”

Critic dismisses Gus Walz as ‘puffy beta male’

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

************* 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 “******* crying son” on X and added, “You raised your **** 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 **** a ******* 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.

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that Jay Weber, a ************* Milwaukee radio host, made a now-deleted post on X criticizing the Walz family.

“If the Walzs (sic) represent today’s ********* 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, but they 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 ******** policies that are bad for America.” It didn’t address the bullying posts.

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

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, 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 ******* 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.

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Aug 21, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz hugs son Gus Walz during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the ******* Center. Hope Walz is at left, Gwen Walz at right.

“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’s, 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.”

Brianne Pfannenstiel of the Des Moines Register contributed to this reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:

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