Tim Walz | mybabe22 | Jay Weber

The heartfelt exchange between Tim Walz and his 17-year-old son, Gus, has triggered a wave of admiration and support, but it has also provoked ugly bullying attacks on the internet.

Gus Walz, who has Support For People With Disabilities a nonverbal learning disorder, as well as anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), watched excitedly from the front seat of Chicago’s United Center and cried 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, Political Family Moments was sharing the challenging fertility journey he and his wife, Gwen, went through to have their daughter, Hope.

Walz continued by expressing his love for his loved ones from the stage, saying, "Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you mean everything to me. And I love you."

Gus Walz rose from his Gwen Walz seat, with teardrops running down his cheeks, pointed his index finger and said, “I love you, Dad.”

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

Fox News Gus Walz shared a clip of the viral moment on its TikTok account, writing "Gus Walz steals the show during dad's acceptance speech." The comments were mostly positive.

“I hope to inspire my children so much that when they see me give a speech about the dreams and passion I hold Acceptance Speech for my country, they are moved to tears 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 excellent, supportive, and loving father throughout his life, ” he wrote. “We Special Education 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, commended 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 Free Menstrual Products kids are as proud of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,” she posted on X. “'That's my dad.' No three words better capture our future vice president. ”

Actress Mia Farrow added: “Gosh! When young Gus Walz, cherished son of Gwen and Tim Walz, his face covered in

tears of pride, exclaimed 'That’s my dad!' he won my heart. ”

Critics dismiss Gus Walz as a 'puffy beta male'
But the show of affection triggered a series of snarky and cruel comments from internet trolls, primarily MAGA supporters of former president Donald Trump, who is running Ann Coulter against Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Walz in November.

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

Mike Crispi, a Trump supporter and content creator from New Jersey, criticized Walz’s “crybaby son” Emotional Moment on X and wrote, “Congratulations on raising your son to be a puffy beta male. Congrats.”

Alec Lace, a Trump supporter who runs a show about fatherhood, took his own shot at the teenager: “Give that kid a tampon already,” he wrote, in an apparent reference ADHD to a Minnesota state law that Walz passed as governor requiring educational institutions to provide 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) Public Display Of Affection represent today's American man,