An Ohio father has told Donald Trump to stop using his son’s death in a school bus crash caused by a Haitian immigrant for “political gain”.
Aiden Clark, 11, died in a school bus crash in August 2023, in Springfield, Ohio, a small town now at the centre of national focus after baseless claims by the Trump campaign about Haitian immigrants there.
On Tuesday, Trump’s running mate JD Vance referred to Aiden in a post on Twitter/X, saying that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant”.
Aiden’s father, Nathan, said in a city commission meeting later the same day that the message had reopened wounds: “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,” he continued.
“This tragedy has felt all over this community, the state and even the nation. But don’t spin this towards hate.
Trump and Vance have also circulated baseless claims about immigrants from Haiti eating pets in Springfield. Just a few hours after Mr Clark spoke, Trump repeated those claims on stage at a presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man,” Mr Clark said at the meeting, as his wife Danielle stood beside him. “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 Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian immigrant without a driver’s licence, crossed the centre line and collided with his school bus.
The boy was thrown from the bus as it flipped, and several children were also injured.
Joseph was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and felony vehicular homicide in May, and sentenced to nine to 13-and-a-half years in prison.
On Monday, Trump’s campaign X account posted side-by-side photos of Aiden and Joseph, and attacked Vice-President Kamala Harris’ immigration policies before the presidential debate.
“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,” the caption read. It claimed Harris had “refused to say Aiden’s name”.
Vance followed the next day with his post.
“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,” Mr Clark said on Tuesday.
“However, they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio.”
Mr Clark said his family were now having the “worst day of our lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces”.
The Trump campaign did not respond to BBC requests for comment. It told the Washington Post that it hoped “the media will continue to cover the stories of the very real suffering and tragedies experienced by the people of Springfield, Ohio, many which haven’t been given nearly the level of attention they deserve until now”.
