Gus Walz Let It All Out During His Father’s Convention Speech

“That’s my dad!” Gus Walz, the 17-year-old son of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, mouthed on Tuesday night, blinking through tears in the audience at the Democratic National Convention.

He rose to his feet and pointed emphatically at his father, who had just shouted him out in the most consequential speech of his political career. His sister, Hope, 23, seated next to him, put down the disposable camera she had been using to take pictures of her father and held up her hands in a heart sign.

Against stiff competition — speeches from Oprah Winfrey and former President Bill Clinton, plus a Prince tribute — the moment would become one of the night’s most resonant on social media.

Within hours, the cutaway to Gus circulated on TikTok, Instagram and X in posts that have received hundreds of thousands of views. Many of them were accompanied by the hashtag #ThatsMyDad. Another hashtag, #TeamGus, was trending on X on Thursday morning.

“Tim Walz was the headliner, but his son, Gus, won the night on social media,” Cory Smith, an NBC10 Boston anchor, wrote online.

Many supporters of the Harris campaign said they appreciated the Walz family’s unabashed displays of affection for one another. Several linked it to the more expressive version of masculinity that Mr. Walz has espoused on the campaign trail.