Ohio Father Condemns Trump and Vance for Exploiting Son’s Death to Smear Immigrants
Evan Vucci/AP
An Ohio father, Nathan Clark, has denounced Donald Trump and Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance as “morally bankrupt politicians” for exploiting his 11-year-old son’s tragic death to spread false claims about Haitian immigrants.
Aiden Clark was killed in August when a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant crossed the center line and collided with a school bus, causing it to overturn. During a Springfield city commission meeting, Nathan Clark expressed his outrage at Vance for using his son’s death to justify untrue claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were stealing and eating pets, as reported by the Springfield News-Sun.
“I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man,” Clark said bluntly. “I bet you never thought anyone would 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.”
Clark continued, lamenting how his family’s tragedy was being twisted for political gain. “The last thing that we need is to have the worst day of our lives violently and constantly shoved in our faces,” he said. “They take it one step further. They make it seem that our wonderful Aiden appreciates your hate, that we should follow their hate.”
Springfield, Ohio, a city of over 58,000 people, is home to an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants. Clark urged Trump, Vance, and other GOP candidates, including Senate hopeful Bernie Moreno, to stop using his son’s death as a political weapon against immigrants.
“This needs to stop now. They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis, and even untrue claims about pets being ravaged and eaten,” Clark stated. “However, they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed, to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio. I will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies.”
Hermanio Joseph, the Haitian immigrant involved in the accident, was sentenced to nine to 13 and a half years in prison after being convicted of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide. At the sentencing in May, Clark made a similar plea against using his son’s death for hate-fueled narratives.
“In order to live like Aiden, you need to accept everyone, choose to shine, make a difference, lead the way, and be the inspiration,” Clark said. “What many people in this community and nation are doing is the opposite of what we should be doing. Sure, we have our problems here, but does Aiden Clark have anything to do with that?”
