Father of 11-Year-Old Boy Killed in Crash Urges Trump and Vance to Stop Exploiting Son’s Death for Political Purposes

The father of Aiden Clark, an 11-year-old boy who tragically died last year in a school bus accident involving a Haitian immigrant, has called on Donald Trump and JD Vance to stop using his son's name for political gain.

Nathan Clark, Aiden’s father, spoke alongside his wife, Danielle, at a city commission meeting in Springfield, Ohio. During the meeting, he expressed frustration at how politicians have been exploiting his son's death to fuel anti-immigrant sentiments. “I wish my son, Aiden, was killed by a 60-year-old white man," Clark stated, highlighting how certain political figures have used his son's death to promote hateful rhetoric.

Clark specifically named Trump, Vance, and other politicians, accusing them of using his son’s tragedy for their own political agendas. “Bernie Moreno, Chip Roy, JD Vance, and Donald Trump have all mentioned my son’s name to gain political advantage,” he said. “This needs to stop now.”

He clarified that while his son was killed by a Haitian immigrant, the incident was an accident and not a murder. “My son was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti. This has affected our community deeply, but please don’t twist this into a story of hate,” Clark pleaded. He emphasized that the situation should not be used to push false narratives, especially those targeting the Haitian community.

Clark’s comments come after both Trump and Vance mentioned Aiden’s death in connection with baseless rumors about Haitian immigrants. Vance falsely claimed on social media that Aiden was "murdered" by a Haitian migrant, and both he and Trump have spread unfounded rumors about local pets being harmed by Haitian immigrants.

Aiden Clark died last August when the school bus he was riding collided with a minivan driven by Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian father of four. Joseph was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to up to 13.5 years in prison. Clark’s father urged political figures to stop using his son’s death to promote harmful rhetoric, asking for respect for his son's memory.