An Ohio father has publicly called on former President Donald Trump to stop using his 11-year-old son’s death in a school bus crash caused by a Haitian immigrant for political purposes.
Aiden Clark was tragically killed in August 2023 in Springfield, Ohio, a town now under national scrutiny following baseless claims by the Trump campaign about Haitian immigrants.
On Tuesday, Trump’s running mate JD Vance made a post on Twitter/X, stating that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant.”
Aiden’s father, Nathan Clark, responded at a city commission meeting later on Tuesday, condemning the politicisation of his son’s death.
“They have spoken my son’s name and used his death for political gain. This needs to stop now. My son was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti.” Clark said
He also called for an end to the hateful rhetoric surrounding his son’s death: “Don’t spin this towards hate.”
Trump and Vance have also spread unsubstantiated claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield.
Just hours after Mr. Clark spoke, Trump repeated those accusations during a presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Standing beside his wife, Danielle, at the city commission meeting, Mr. Clark delivered a stark message: “I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man. I bet you never thought anyone would ever say something so blunt. But if that guy killed my 11-year-old son, the incessant group of hate-spewing people would leave us alone.”
Aiden was killed when a van driven by Haitian immigrant Hermanio Joseph, who did not have a driver’s license, crossed the center line and collided with the school bus. The crash caused the bus to flip, ejecting Aiden and injuring several other children. Joseph was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and felony vehicular homicide in May and was sentenced to nine to 13-and-a-half years in prison.
The tragedy has shaken the Springfield community, but recent political messaging has inflamed tensions.
On Monday, Trump’s campaign posted side-by-side photos of Aiden and Joseph on social media, attacking Vice President Kamala Harris’s immigration policies. The caption read, “REMEMBER: 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed on his way to school by a Haitian migrant that Kamala Harris let into the country in Springfield, Ohio,” and claimed Harris had “refused to say Aiden’s name.”
JD Vance followed up with his own post the next day, intensifying the political narrative around Aiden’s death.
In response, Mr. Clark expressed frustration at the hate-filled rhetoric.
“They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis, and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members,” he said. “However, they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio.”
Mr. Clark emphasised how his family is now being forced to relive the most painful moment of their lives: “We are having the worst day of our lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces.”
The Trump campaign later issued a statement expressing condolences: “We are deeply sorry to the Clark family for the loss of their son. We hope the media will continue to cover the stories of the very real suffering and tragedies experienced by the people of Springfield, Ohio due to the influx of illegal Haitian immigrants in their community.”
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