MAGA Mocks Tim Walz’s Son For Crying During DNC Speech

MAGA-affiliated accounts on social media have mocked Tim Walz’s 17-year-old neurodivergent son Gus for crying during his father’s speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.
Gus Walz, who has ADHD, along with a non-verbal learning disorder and an anxiety disorder, and his mom Gwen Walz, were crying when the Democratic vice-presidential nominee gave them a shout-out before the roaring crowd.
Early in Tim Walz’s speech, he spoke about his and his wife’s struggles with infertility before conceiving their daughter Hope Walz, 23, who was also in attendance. The Minnesota governor gave a brief shoutout to his family, saying, “Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you.”
Gus was seen crying and cheering after being mentioned by his father, including pointing to the stage and appearing to say, “That’s my dad.”
On Wednesday, the X account @The_Real_Fly posted the clip with the caption “BETA MAXXING.” The post was viewed 201,000 times by Thursday morning.
The slang term “beta” or “beta male” is a derogatory phrase derived from ethology or the study of animal behavior. The term is frequently associated with so-called feminine qualities being present in a man. “Maxxing” is a suffix used to describe maximizing a specific trait, as in “looks-maxxing” or “status-maxxing.”
When a version of the video was posted by political commentator @dom_lucre, garnering more than 1 million views, prominent MAGA influencer @ColinRugg replied “Bruh”, with @dom_lucre replying: “They can’t talk about Rittenhouse anymore. He actually had his life on the line in that court room.” This was in reference to when Kyle Rittenhouse cried while giving testimony during his murder trial. He was later acquitted of all charges over the 2020 shooting and killing of two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Another user @AlecLace, a Trump supporter who hosts a podcast about fatherhood replied to @dom_lucre writing, “Get that kid a tampon already.” The comment was viewed 43,000 times by Thursday.
The pro-Trump account @AutismCapital posted an image of Gus Walz crying. “Poor kid. It was a heartfelt moment, but he’s definitely going to become a meme,” garnering 256,000 views. It later posted another image of the 17-year-old crying with the caption: “When you find the one working McDonald’s Ice Cream machine in your city.”
Menswear writer @dieworkwear wrote a critical reply about mocking a neurodivergent person. “What goes through your head when you bait your audience to make jokes about people with ALS and children?” The reply was liked 20,000 times, while @AutismCapital’s original post was liked 1,200 times. @AutismCapital had previously posted a clip of a person with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) speaking at the DNC.
Follow Newsweek’s live DNC updates here.