There were countless notable moments coming out of the Democratic National Convention, from jaw-dropping speeches by former presidents to starry appearances from A-list celebrities.
The person who perhaps stole the show, however, was Gus Walz, the 17-year-old son of Minnesota Governor and Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz. Gus captured the hearts of the nation with his tearful and emotional reaction as his father was named officially as the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate, with footage of his unabashed pride promptly going viral on social media.
The buzzy moment caught the attention of everyone from Michelle Obama to Mark Hamill and Ann Coulter, the latter of whom attracted backlash for her comments about Gus Walz.
Ann Coulter’s comment about Gus Walz, explained
Coulter received widespread, and some would say deserved, backlash when she reacted to Gus Walz’s pride for his father on social media. Re-sharing an article about Walz on X, the far-right commentator wrote the caption: “talk about weird,” presumably in reference to the Democrats’ line of attack against Donald Trump and JD Vance in recent weeks.
Coulter’s post was the subject of an onslaught of criticism, particularly the use of the word “weird,” since Gus is neurodivergent. He has anxiety, ADHD, and a nonverbal learning disability, making Coulter’s use of the word all the more disparaging. Michelle Obama, Ana Navarro and Rosie O’Donnell were among the legions of people who denounced the attacks on Walz, and Coulter eventually deleted the post amid the intense fallout.
Later, Coulter offered an explanation — but not an apology — for her comments about Walz, saying she “took [the post] down as soon as someone told me he’s autistic.” The conservative pundit went on to say that it’s “Democrats who go around calling everyone weird thinking it’s hilariously funny,” adding that she was on vacation and “didn’t see any ‘pressure'” to remove the original post, despite the widespread reaction.
In any case, the damage had already been done, with flocks of social media users throwing their support behind Walz and criticizing Coulter. One viral video on TikTok saw influencer Elizabeth Booker Houston refer to Coulter, among other expletive-filled things, as a “childless monkey woman,” “the wicked witch of the west” and an “unseasoned succubus.”
Coulter wasn’t the only commentator to attack Walz. Conservative radio host Jay Weber said the Walz moment was “embarrassing for both father and son,” while Trump delegate Mike Crispi described it as “puffy beta male” behavior.