Father of Springfield, Ohio boy killed in crash says Trump, Vance using death for 'political gain'

The father of an 11-year-old boy who was killed last year in a school bus accident in Ohio criticized Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance for using his son’s death for what he called "political gain".

Nathan Clark spoke Tuesday night at a city commission meeting, just hours before Trump took the debate stage with Vice President Kamala Harris, and asked Trump and his running mate Vance to apologize for referencing his son’s death in recent political remarks.

FILE - Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) appear on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 202

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Clark says Trump and Vance are saying his son was murdered by an immigrant. One of Trump’s political talking points this campaign season is claiming that crime is "way up" due to a rise of "migrant crime" in the country because of President Biden’s lack of border security. FBI statistics show violent crime is trending downward.

At the city commission, Nathan Clark said, "My son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti. … Don’t spin this towards hate."

The bus accident

Aiden Clark died in August 2023 when his school bus overturned after a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant, Hermanio Joseph, crossed the center line. Ohio State Highway Patrol said Clark was ejected and 23 other students were injured in the crash. 

Earlier this year, Joseph was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide and sentenced to nine to 13 years in prison, according to a local report. 

Trump and Vance remarks

Earlier on Tuesday, GOP Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance alluded to Aiden in a post on X, writing that "a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant." 

On Monday, the Trump War Room X account also posted about Aiden.

City council remarks

Aiden’s father said Tuesday night that he wished to speak publicly about his son to clear the air about his death. 

"To be clear, 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 spin this towards hate," he said. 

In a powerful opening statement, he said, "You know, I wish that my son, Aiden Clarke, was killed by a 60-year-old white man. 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."

He went on to say that he believes politicians are using Aiden as "a political tool," which he said he thought is reprehensible.

"This needs to stop," Clark said. 

"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. 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."

You can hear Nathan Clark’s full remarks in the video player above. 

Springfield, Ohio

Trump mentioned the town of Springfield, Ohio, on a couple occasions during the debate Tuesday night when making inflammatory claims that violent crime was spiking due to a rise in illegal immigration, though he didn’t reference Aiden’s death specifically. 

"You see what's happening with towns throughout the United States. You look at Springfield, Ohio, you look at Aurora in Colorado. (Migrants) are taking over the towns, taking over buildings. They're going in violently. These are the people that (Kamala Harris) and Biden let into our country, and they're destroying our country. They're dangerous," was one remark of Trump’s that referenced the city. 

The other one brought about one of the more memorable moments of the night, when Trump claimed migrants in the city were eating pets in the community - a bizarre claim originally spread through social media posts that Clark referenced in his city council remarks as well. 

RELATED: Trump falsely claims migrants in Ohio are eating pets

"A lot of towns don't want to talk about it because they're so embarrassed by it. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there," Trump said. 

This claim has been thoroughly debunked by local officials, who have found no evidence to support such accusations, which debate moderator David Muir mentioned in the moment as well.