Gus Walz, the 17-year-old son of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), stole the show at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Wednesday after his father accepted the party’s nomination for vice president.
The moment came as Walz acknowledged his wife, daughter, and son in the crowd while delivering the evening’s keynote speech.
“Hope, Gus, and Gwen—you are my entire world, and I love you,” Walz said.
In response, an emotional Gus jumped from his seat and shouted, “That’s my dad! That’s my dad!”
As Walz recently revealed to People Magazine, Gus has ADHD, a nonverbal learning disorder, as well as an anxiety disorder.
The reaction from Gus immediately struck a chord with countless Americans, including parents of children who face similar issues.
“I don’t cry easily, but as the dad of a teenage son with autism, ADHD & anxiety issues, watching Tim Walz’s 17-year-old son (who has a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD & anxiety disorder) standing up, crying & pointing to the stage telling everyone ‘that’s my dad’ just gutted me,” X user Rick Ellis wrote.
“I didn’t know Tim Walz had a neurodivergent son,” another added. “I have a 14-year-old son who is autistic, has ADHD, ODD, and extreme anxiety. What I saw Gus Walz do tonight had me weeping with joy. It must have been hard for him to be there with all that noise/people. Precious.”
“As a father of a child on the spectrum… If I’m ever in a situation where my son looks at me like Gus Walz looks at his father, I’ll know one thing… I’ve done my job and I can die in peace,” a third father wrote.
Many others were affected by the emotional display and shared their tearful reactions online.
“Gus Walz is all of us!” one woman wrote. “I’m not crying. You’re crying. ‘I love you. That’s my dad.’ How proud!! My heart melted, and yes, I was crying, too.”
Many also felt that despite how great the speech from Walz was, his son’s reaction may have been the highlight of the entire evening.
“Tim Walz was the headliner, but his son, Gus, won the night on social media,” one journalist wrote.
But the tears didn’t end there. At the end of the speech, Gus ran up on the stage with his family, and continued his outpouring of emotional support for his father.
“Tim Walz’s teary-eyed son proudly running on stage to hug his dad after that DNC speech…I’m emotional tbh,” another viewer wrote.
Walz previously described his son’s condition not as a “setback” but as his “secret power.”
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