Conservative commentator Ann Coulter was heavily criticized on social media for a now-deleted post in which she mocked the actions of the son of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was a vice presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention.
“Strange story…” Coulter posted on X, along with a link to an article about Waltz’s son Gus becoming emotional during his father’s speech in Chicago on Wednesday.
Gus Waltz’s most emotional moment came when his father addressed his family directly as he spoke about his family’s struggles with fertility treatments.
“Gus, Hope, Gwen, you guys mean my world and I love you guys,” the governor said.
“That’s my dad!” cried the young Waltz in tears.
The Waltzes have been open about Gus’ neurodiversity; he has a nonverbal learning disability and ADHD.
The reaction has gone viral online, with Gus’ newfound fame bringing attention to learning disabilities.
Congressman Marc Molinaro (New York) I posted a screenshot Coulter said in her X post that while she may not agree with Waltz on the issue, she believes in “protecting children from attack.”
“His son, Gus, and all of our children should be celebrated and supported despite their neurodevelopmental disorders and differences in abilities,” Molinaro said. “I have done so throughout my career and will continue to urge everyone to #ThinkDIFFERENTLY.”
ThinkDIFFERENTLY is an organization founded by Molinaro that supports the community in supporting people with special needs.
Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, said in her post that she has neurodevelopmental disabilities: She was diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, and several learning disabilities when she was 14.
“We’re not weird, we’re awesome.” Her online post reads:“And we are your family, your friends and your fellow Americans.”
Coulter’s post, which Gus Waltz called “weird,” echoed the governor’s calls of former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
The phrase has caught on and many prominent Democrats have used the message since Vice President Harris announced her campaign.
Coulter has previously said she would vote for Trump because he chose Vance as his running mate, despite thinking he was a “horrible, horrible person”.
In another post by X, Report by RawStoryCoulter said he removed the post about Gus Waltz because “someone told me he was autistic.”
“But it’s the Democrats who are calling everyone weird and thinking it’s so funny,” she said.
