Gus Walz opens up about emotional moment at 2024 DNC

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Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz stands onstage with his daughter Hope (L), son Gus (2L) and wife Gwen Walz (R) after he spoke on the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in ((Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images))

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The son of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is opening up about his viral moment at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in an interview done on CBS News.

Guz Walz recently sat down with David Begnaud at the Governor’s Mansion in St. Paul to talk about the moment, and his life as a high school student diagnosed with both ADHD and an anxiety disorder back in sixth grade.

‘That’s my Dad’

What we know:

Gus Walz was the subject of a viral moment at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Tim Walz was addressing the crowd and accepting the nomination for vice president to Kamala Harris when he addressed his wife, Gwen, and kids Gus and Hope.

"Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you," Gov. Walz said.

Gus, overcome with emotion, stood up, clapped and burst into tears, saying "That’s my Dad."

"It was crazy, I’m looking at my mom and I’m like ‘That’s my Dad.’ He’s right in front of all of America, all these people chanting our last name. It was super overwhelming because to me, he’s regular old Dad," Gus said. "Just normal Dad, golfs with me, makes food, cleans the cars, everything like that. In that moment, it was something bigger."

Ignoring the negative

Why you should care:

Gus got some negative feedback on social media for his emotional response. He opted to ignore it, and continue to be who he is.

"I just blocked it out, I was just being emotional. There’s nothing wrong with showing emotions, and if people are going to say there’s something wrong with that, those are not the people I want to be associated with," Gus said.

‘I’m just a normal kid’

Dig deeper:

Gus attends St. Paul Central High School and is a setter on the boys volleyball team. He’s seen throughout the CBS story roaming the halls and high-fiving friends. He’s talkative, but admits he’s a little slow to acknowledge non-verbal cues.

At the end of a recent volleyball game, he’s shown asking his friend Eleanor to prom. She said yes.

"I’m a normal kid who likes to play volleyball, loves his family, loves his friends and likes to help people out," Gus said.