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Gus Walz loves his father, Tim. Anyone who doesn’t see the beauty in that is a fool.
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Gus Walz loves his father, Tim. Anyone who doesn’t see the beauty in that is a fool.

Amelia Robinson is the opinion and community editor at the Columbus Dispatch.

Gus Walz loves his father.

That should have been clear to anyone — Republican, Democrat or independent — who watched him sob as his father, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, accepted the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night.

It shouldn’t be a problem that Gus Walz has ADHD, an anxiety disorder, and a nonverbal learning disorder.

It shouldn’t matter that he’s only 17.

It shouldn’t matter whether his father is a Democrat or he is a Republican.

Gus was a son who was proud of his father and wasn’t afraid to show it.

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It was beautiful.

Ann Coulter apparently thought it was ‘weird’.

That was the word that came to the conservative commentator’s mind after she witnessed the moment that so many found heartwarming.

Nothing in her stood still. She just jumped.

“What a weird story…” Coulter tweeted, according to The Daily Beast and others.

More: Gus Walz broke the internet with his tearful love for his father. Then the bullying started

Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz and her children Gus Walz and Hope Walz listen as Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks onstage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Democratic Party delegates, politicians and supporters are in Chicago for the convention, which will culminate with current Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party's presidential nomination. The DNC takes place August 19-22.Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz and her children Gus Walz and Hope Walz listen as Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks onstage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Democratic Party delegates, politicians and supporters are in Chicago for the convention, which will culminate with current Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party's presidential nomination. The DNC takes place August 19-22.

Cruelty is disgusting

Coulter deleted the post, but not before taking a screenshot. I’m not surprised she went so low.

Coulter and bullies like her fail to understand the basic rule of the “Real Housewives” franchise: Children are taboo.

X-user Marcellajay gets it.

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“I am a conservative and all these disgusting comments and attacks on a poor child with special needs are unacceptable and need to be addressed. It is not weird, he loves his father and is proud of him,” she wrote.

Cruelty is gross. Human decency should not be something reserved only for those you agree with.

Some will dismiss this as Ann Coulter being Ann Coulter, but this is not about Ann Coulter or others who have allegedly said nasty things about Gus Walz.

There are far too many adults among us who could not follow elementary school anti-bullying policies. They have been encouraged in the digital age to be mean and to do so without even thinking about it. Coulter and others found Gus Walz an easy target.

How boring, uncreative and predictable.

When they are called, to regret.

Take Wisconsin radio host Jay Weber for example.

“Sorry, but this is embarrassing for both father and son,” Weber posted on X. “If the Walzs represent the modern American man, then this country is screwed; ‘Meet my son, Gus. He’s a sniveling bitch boy. His mother and I are very proud.'”

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Weber deleted the tweet after coming under fire.

“I was unaware the child was disabled and deleted the post,” Weber wrote.

Is it even fair to call anyone, let alone a child, a “bitch boy”?

None of this is normal

Politics has often been unpleasant.

Just look at the 1828 presidential election between John Quincy Adams and his rival Andrew Jackson for proof.

Jackson’s team spread a malicious rumor that Adams, while ambassador, had sold his children’s nanny as a mistress to the Russian Tsar.

Adams found himself in increasing trouble.

They called Jackson’s mother a “common prostitute” and claimed her seven children were fathered by a “mulatto man.” And that might not be the worst of it. Adams’ crew called Jackson’s wife, Rachel, fat, an “American jezebel,” a convicted adulteress and a “dirty black girl.”

That was bad. These times are even worse.

Some think it’s “totally okay” to ridicule a reporter with a disability, as former President Donald Trump once did, or to ridicule women who don’t have children, as his running mate J.D. Vance did.

Even the unsubstantiated joke about Vance having sex with banks that goes viral is much less a sign of how low we’ve sunk.

Can you imagine someone saying that about Dwight Eisenhower?

The meanness needs to be (I won’t hold my breath) scaled back across the board. It needs to stop when it comes to children. Belittling a child — with or without a disability — for expressing love is down the drain.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, as many as 2 million children and adolescents in this country may have a nonverbal learning disorder. Experts say they have difficulty processing visual and nonverbal information.

Who is Gus Walz? What is a nonverbal learning disorder?

Here’s what you need to know about this lesser-known, yet not-so-rare disability.

I can only guess why Coulter saw something negative when Gus Walz appeared on screen and tears of joy streamed from his eyes.

Did she need her glasses?

“Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my whole world and I love you,” said Tim Walz.

“That’s my father,” Gus replied.

There was nothing strange about that, Ann.

Amelia Robinson is the opinion and community editor at the Columbus Dispatch.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz celebrates with his son Gus Walz (CL), wife Gwen Walz (R) and daughter Hope Walz (L) after accepting the Democratic vice presidential nominee onstage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Democratic Party delegates, politicians and supporters are in Chicago for the convention, which will culminate with current Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party's presidential nominee. The DNC takes place August 19-22. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz celebrates with his son Gus Walz (CL), wife Gwen Walz (R) and daughter Hope Walz (L) after accepting the Democratic vice presidential nominee onstage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Democratic Party delegates, politicians and supporters are in Chicago for the convention, which will culminate with current Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party's presidential nominee. The DNC takes place August 19-22. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ann Coulter and Others Are Weird for Disparaging Tim Walz’s Son Gus