Father from Ohio calls on Trump not to exploit his son's death for “political purposes”

An Ohio father has urged Donald Trump not to exploit the death of his son in a school bus accident caused by a Haitian immigrant for “political purposes.”

Aiden Clark, 11, died in a school bus accident in August 2023 in Springfield, Ohio, a small town that is now the focus of national attention after the Trump campaign made baseless claims about Haitian immigrants.

On Tuesday, Trump's running mate JD Vance referenced Aiden in a post on Twitter/X, saying that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant.”

Aiden's father Nathan said later that day at a city council meeting that the message had reopened the wounds: “You have spoken my son's name and exploited his death for political purposes. This must stop now.”

“My son was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti,” he continued.

“This tragedy is felt throughout the community, throughout the state, and even throughout the nation. But don't turn that into hate.

Trump and Vance also have unfounded allegations about immigrants from Haiti eating pets in Springfield. Just hours after Clark's speech, Trump repeated those claims onstage at a presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I wish my son Aiden Clark had been killed by a 60-year-old white man,” Clark said at the meeting, his wife Danielle standing next to him. “I bet you never thought anyone would ever say something so blunt.”

“But if this guy killed my eleven-year-old son, the group of people who constantly spread hate would leave us alone.”

Aiden was killed when the van driven by Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian immigrant without a driver's license, crossed the center line and collided with his school bus.

The boy was thrown from the bus when it overturned. Several children were also injured.

Joseph was found guilty of manslaughter and negligent homicide in May and sentenced to between nine and 13.5 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 ahead of the presidential debate.

“REMEMBER: 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed on his way to school by a Haitian migrant that Kamala Harris allowed into the country in Springfield, Ohio,” the caption said, adding that Harris “refused to speak Aiden's name.”

Vance followed up with his post the next day.

“You can spew so much hate about illegal immigrants, the border crisis and even false claims about furry pets being ravaged and eaten by community members,” Clark said Tuesday.

“However, they are not allowed and have never been allowed to mention Aiden Clark of Springfield, Ohio.”

Mr Clark said his family was going through “the worst day of our lives, with constant violence and punches thrown in our faces”.

The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment from the BBC. They told the Washington Post that they hope “the media will continue to report on the very real suffering and tragedy experienced by the people of Springfield, Ohio. Many of these events have not received nearly the attention they deserve.”