‘That’s My Dad.’ Proud Gus Walz Sobs at His Father’s Speech

Tim Walz’s children became the stars of his speech as they reacted with heart signs—and his son leapt to his feet, pointing and shouting through tears, “That’s my dad!”

The emotional moments between Walz and his children, Hope, 23, and Gus, 17, came as Walz spoke about his and wife Gwen’s battle with infertility and the “hell” they endured before finally welcoming their daughter in 2001.

Speaking to an audience already on its feet and roaring approval, Walz said: “When our daughter was born, we named her Hope,” as the camera panned to the 23-year-old, who formed her hands in the shape of a heart and mouthed the words, “I love you,” to her dad, tears welling in her eyes.

“Hope, Gus, and Gwen, You are my entire world and I love you,” Walz continued.

Moved at the moment, Gus could be seen pointing to his dad and cheering him on, exclaiming, “That’s my dad!” and turning towards the crowd.

The reaction was instantly highlighted as the emotional heart of the evening. CNN anchor Dana Bash said, “I have to say, Gus, Gus Walz—the clip-and-save moment, what everybody is going to be seeing, if you didn’t get moved by that moment, I don’t even know. Just look at that.”

Her co-anchor Jake Tapper added, “What a remarkable moment in American life to see that boy standing up and saying proudly, ‘That’s my dad!’”

Earlier this month, the Walzes gave a long statement to People about their 17-year-old son’s “secret power;” a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder.

“When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates,” the couple said. "Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself.” They added: “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.”

They added that while 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," they said they now realize that “Gus’ condition is not a setback—it’s his secret power.”

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According to the Child Mind Institute, cited by MSNBC, non-verbal learning disorder can affect people in multiple ways, including “the ability to notice patterns and learn concepts.” It affects non-verbal cognition, and does not mean that people diagnosed with it are unable to speak.

“Like autistic kids, kids with NLD often have trouble picking up social cues. In fact, many kids with NLD also have an autism diagnosis,” it continues. “Non-verbal social cues are a kind of pattern that’s hard for these kids to read.”

CNN returned to Gus and his learning challenge in a second segment after the speech to compare the moment to the conduct of former president Donald Trump. “Doesn’t really matter in terms of how moving that was but it’s an important part of the story,” Tapper said. “What a contrast with Donald Trump... who was known to openly mock a disabled reporter.”