Grieving Ohio Father Criticizes Donald Trump And JD Vance For Using His Son’s Death As A “Political Tool” Against Haitian Immigrants [Video]

Earlier this week, the father of an 11-year-old boy who was killed last year after a Haitian immigrant driver crashed into his school bus, called out Donald Trump and JD Vance for using his son’s death for “political gain.” Nathan Clark gave his heartfelt speech before the Springfield City Commission to denounce the Republican presidential candidates, as well as demand an apology from Vance for mentioning his son’s passing during an argument against Haitian immigration.

“Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose,” Clark said. “This needs to stop now. I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies.”

He continued, “My son Aiden Clark was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti. This tragedy is felt all over this community, the state and even the nation, but don’t spend this towards hate. In order to live like Aiden, you need to accept everyone.”

If you’re unaware, Aiden passed away in August 2023 on his first day of school. The school bus he was traveling on was struck by a minivan that Haitian immigrant Hermanio Joseph was driving. As a result, 20 students were left injured from the crash and Hermanio was sentenced to 13 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide.

The Trump campaign later used the incident to amplify criticism against Vice President Kamala Harris’ immigration record. Despite not specifically mentioning the Clark family, Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, responded to the their statement saying, “We hope the media will continue to cover the real tragedies faced by the people of Springfield, Ohio—many of which haven’t received the attention they deserve because they don’t fit the liberal media narrative.”

Additionally, Luke Schroeder, a representative for Vance, also chimed into the conversation. But, instead directly speaking on the Clark family, Schroeder shifted the focus to Harris to blame her crimes committed by immigrants.

“They hold her and her open borders policies accountable for the deaths of their children,” Schroeder said. “The Clark family is in Senator Vance’s prayers,”

Nevertheless, the Clark family has consistently requested for Aiden’s death to not be used as a tool against immigration nor to fuel hatred toward Haitians.