“That’s My Dad!”: Tim Walz’s Children Steal America’s Heart Amid Tears at the DNC

The Walz family stole America’s heart on the third night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the party’s nomination as Kamala Harris’ running mate with wife Gwen, daughter Hope and son Gus tearfully cheering him on.

After a touching tribute from his former high school football players, and amid chants of “Coach!,” Walz took to the stage at Chicago’s United Center as the final speaker of the night. With his booming voice, good humor and folksy charm, Walz captivated the DNC with a barnstorming address.

But it was Walz’s children, and their raw emotion at seeing their father up on stage, that really had social media deep in the feels. When, during his speech, the governor looked over at his family and said, “Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you,” the camera cut to Gus and Hope, both in floods of tears. Hope was seen making the ‘heart’ sign with her hands, but Gus was moved to stand up and shout repeatedly, “That’s my dad!”

The Gus moment instantly went viral on social media, particularly as many people were discovering for the first time that the 17-year-old has ADHD, a non-verbal learning disorder and an anxiety disorder. The raucous convention as well as all the attention would be a challenge for any neurotypical person, but for someone neurodivergent like Gus, the situation would be particularly overwhelming. Still, he handled it with commendable passion and grace.

With clips of Gus shooting around social media, racking up tens of thousands of likes and reposts, neurodivergent people and parents of neurodivergent people, including this writer, found the moment especially emotional.

Earlier this month, the Walz’s addressed Gus’s non-verbal learning disorder with People Magazine. “When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates,” the couple told People. “Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself.”

“When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have,” The Walzs said. “Like so many American families, it took us time to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to make sure Gus would be set up for success as he was growing up.”

The statement added, “It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback — it’s his secret power.”