Gus Walz could not help but to become overwhelmed with emotion during the third night of the Democratic National Convention, openly weeping while his father, Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, formally accepted his nomination.
The pride was palpable on Gus’ face as he stood beside his mother, Gwen, and his 23-year-old sister, Hope, as Walz took to the stage at the United Center in Chicago Wednesday night. Tears streamed down his cheeks as his father’s speech got underway, something he made no effort to conceal.
“It took Gwen and I years” to conceive, the Minnesota governor said. “But we had access to fertility treatments and when our daughter was born, we named her Hope,” he added, causing tears to also form in the eyes of his daughter.
“Gus, Hope and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you,” Walz said, bringing 17-year-old Gus to his feet.
“That’s my dad!” he said through tears, pointing to the stage and applauding.
The emotional moment quickly charmed users across the internet.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on X wrote that she was “Team Gus Walz.”
“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,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a separate post. “‘That’s my dad.’ No three words better describe our next Vice President.”
The Michigan Democrats added: “Gus Walz is all of us.”
During an interview with People magazine earlier this month, Walz and his wife opened up about Gus and his life with “a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD.” They called him “brilliant” and described his conditions as a “secret power.” He’s “hyper-aware of details that many of us pass by, and above all else, he’s an excellent son,” his parents said.
“We love our Gus,” Tim and Gwen added, “we are proud of the man he’s growing into, and we are so excited to have him with us on this journey.”
