Gus Walz Responds to Critics of Viral DNC Moment in First-Ever Interview: ‘There’s Nothing Wrong with Showing Emotions’

• Gus Walz, the son of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has responded to critics of his teary reaction to his dad’s vice presidential nomination at the 2024 DNC

• “I was just being emotional,” Gus, who has a non-verbal learning disorder, told CBS Mornings in his first interview ever

• The 18-year-old said he’s just like any other “normal” kid despite his disability, and likes to golf with his dad, play volleyball and spend time with friends

Nine months after his emotional reaction at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Gus Walz has some words for the people who mocked his tearful celebration of his dad, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

In his first-ever interview, which aired on CBS Mornings on Monday, May 12, Gus, 18, said he blocked out the hate and “ignored” the online attacks after his DNC moment went viral, explaining, “I just continued to do what I do.”

Still, he told CBS Mornings, “there’s nothing wrong with showing emotions. And if people are going to say there’s something wrong with that, then those are not the people I want to be associated with.”

While watching his dad accept the nomination for vice president at the DNC in August 2024, Gus sat tearfully in the audience with his mom, Gwen, and his sister, Hope. At one point, Gus applauded and pointed to the stage, saying, “That’s my dad!”

After the governor called his family his “entire world,” Gus stood up, crying as he gave his dad a round of applause. In the days after the moment aired on television, far-right figures like Ann Coulter and conservative Wisconsin radio host Jay Weber criticized Gus on X, with Coulter writing in a since deleted post, “Talk about weird …” and Weber calling Gus’ response “embarrassing.”

When asked by CBS Mornings what he remembered from that night at the DNC, Gus said it was “crazy” to see so many people chanting his last name in support of his father.

“It’s super overwhelming cause for me, he’s just regular old dad. Just normal dad,” Gus said. “Golfs with me, make food, clean the cars — everything like that. And in the moment, it was something bigger. It was just surreal.”

Gus has ADHD, an anxiety disorder and a non-verbal learning disorder. Gwen, who also participated in the interview, told CBS Mornings that this means Gus sometimes struggles with “reading facial cues, or understanding vocal tone or understanding gestures” — but it does not mean that he cannot speak.

While Gus said some people may think he’s “a little slow” and “not a normal kid,” he told CBS Mornings he’s “one of the most normal people you could find,” and enjoys playing volleyball, spending time with his friends and family and helping others.

He also told CBS Mornings that his disability gives him “some big strengths,” including a knack for forming relationships.

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In a statement shared with PEOPLE in August 2024, Tim and Gwen called Gus’ disability his “secret power,” and said their son “is brilliant, hyper-aware of details that many of us pass by, and above all else, he’s an excellent son and brother to his sibling.”

Shortly after his DNC speech and the cruel comments about Gus that followed, Tim said in a joint CNN interview with Kamala Harris that he wanted to “protect” his children from public scrutiny, but said he was “proud” of Gus for his reaction that night.

“It was just such a visceral, emotional moment that I’m just … I’m grateful I got to experience it,” he said at the time.

Read the original article on People