The father of an 11-year-old boy who was killed last year when a minivan driven by a Haitian migrant crashed into a school bus has called on Donald Trump and J.D. Vance not to use his son’s name for “political gain.”
At Tuesday’s Springfield, Ohio, city commission meeting, Aiden Clark’s father, Nathan Clark, spoke at the forum along with his wife, Danielle. “I wish my son, Aiden Clark, had been killed by a 60-year-old white man. I never thought anyone would be so blatant in saying something like that, but if that man had killed my 11-year-old son, the hate-spewing people would leave us alone,” Clark said at the meeting, according to the Springfield News-Sun.
Clarke also named politicians, including Trump and Vance, saying they were using his son’s name for “political gain.”
“Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio Senate candidate), Chip Roy (R-Texas Congressman), J.D. Vance and Donald Trump have mentioned my son’s name and used his death for political gain. This must stop now. They can spew all the hate they want about illegal immigration, the border crisis and even false claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by local residents, but they are not allowed to mention Aiden Clark of Springfield, Ohio, and never have been allowed to,” Clark said.
“I will once again listen to their apology. To be clear, my son Aiden Clark was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by a Haitian immigrant. This tragedy is felt across our region, state and country. But please do not let this turn into hatred,” he continued.
Clark added: “Do you know that not being able to protect your child is one of the worst feelings in the world? And even worse, not being able to protect their memory once they’re gone. Please stop the hate.”
Clark’s comments come after the Trump campaign and Vance addressed the death of Aiden Clark earlier this week amid hateful and unfounded rumors about Springfield’s Haitian immigrant community.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Vance addressed Clark’s death, saying, “A child was murdered by Haitian immigrants.” In the same post, Vance also repeated the falsehood that Haitian immigrants eat local pets, a rumor that Trump brought up again during Tuesday’s debate with Kamala Harris.
Meanwhile, the Trump War Room, an X-account used by the Trump campaign, also mentioned Aiden Clarke and criticised Harris for refusing to say Clarke’s name.
Aiden Clark was killed last August when the school bus he was riding in collided with a minivan driven by Hermanio Joseph, a 36-year-old Haitian father of four. More than 20 students were injured in the crash, and Joseph was convicted of manslaughter and vehicular homicide. In May, Joseph was sentenced to nine to 13.5 years in prison.
In a statement to NBC regarding Clark’s remarks, a spokesperson for Vance said people should hold Harris and her “open borders policy” responsible for the children’s deaths, adding that “the Clark family is in Senator Vance’s prayers.”
The Guardian’s Julius Konstantin Motar contributed to this report.