Aiden, 11, died in a school bus crash in August 2023 in Springfield, Ohio, after a van driven by a Haitian immigrant without a driver's license collided with his bus.
Nathan Clark, the father of Aiden Clark, has called on Donald Trump to stop using his son's tragic death for political purposes.
Aiden, 11, died in a school bus crash in August 2023 in Springfield, Ohio, after a van driven by a Haitian immigrant without a driver's license collided with his bus.
Trump's running mate, JD Vance, referenced Aiden's death in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant."
Nathan Clark responded to these claims during a city commission meeting, saying, "They have spoken my son's name and used his death for political gain. This needs to stop now."
Mr. Clark added, "My son was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti." He urged those involved to stop spinning the tragedy into something hateful: "Don't spin this towards hate."
Trump and Vance have also made claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield. A few hours after Nathan Clark's comments, Trump repeated these claims during a presidential debate, BBC reports.
Mr. Clark, frustrated, said, "I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man... 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 Hermanio Joseph crossed the center line, causing the bus to flip. Joseph was sentenced to nine to thirteen-and-a-half years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and felony vehicular homicide.
On Monday, Trump's campaign posted side-by-side photos of Aiden and Joseph, attacking Vice-President Kamala Harris' immigration policies. The caption claimed Harris had "refused to say Aiden's name."
Clark condemned these posts, saying, "They are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio."
The Trump campaign expressed their condolences but maintained that the community had suffered due to illegal Haitian immigrants.