On Wednesday night, Tim Walz’s family got some welcome time in the spotlight as the Minnesota governor accepted the Democratic nomination for vice-president. Tim, his wife, Gwen, and his 23-year-old daughter, Hope, were all familiar faces — Gwen’s charmingly sensible style was, admittedly, leveled up a bit, while Hope looked like her midwestern vegetarian self (heeled mules and arm tattoos). But the rising Walz star from Wednesday night was the family’s 17-year-old son, Gus, who was seen enthusiastically weeping through his father’s speech and shouting “That’s my dad!” from the front row.
Gus, whom the Walzes recently told People has a nonverbal learning disorder, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder (conditions they described as his “secret power”), also bolted to the stage with his sister and mom to give his dad a huge hug at the end of his speech. His unfettered affection immediately captured a lot of hearts and minds.
With the exception of a few haters, that is. Conservative pundit Ann Coulter tweeted a photo of Gus with the caption “Talk about weird,” in an attempt to fire the Democrats’ new go-to diss back at them. She later deleted the post, explaining in a new tweet that “someone told me he’s autistic” (which is not the diagnosis the Walzes have shared with the public) and adding that “it’s Democrats who go around calling everyone weird thinking it’s hilariously funny.”
The Democrats do not find it hilariously funny to call a 17-year-old cheering on his dad weird. Michelle Obama came to Gus’s defense this week shortly after her DNC speech, writing on X that she was “thankful” to Gus for “showing us all what real love looks like.” She added, “Let’s be a nation that embraces this kind of warmth and vulnerability, instead of making fun or mocking it. We could all use some of Gus’s example in our own lives.”
This post has been updated.
