Father Of Boy Killed In Ohio Bus Crash Rips Vance, Trump For Fanning Hate Against Haitians

WASHINGTON ― The father of an 11-year-old Ohio boy killed last year in a bus crash involving a Haitian immigrant driver lashed out on Tuesday at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), for spreading hate at the expense of his son.

He also begged GOP politicians to stop using his son’s name “as a political tool” to fuel racist attacks on Haitian immigrants in his small community.

“I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man,” Nathan Clark read aloud from a piece of paper during a Springfield City Commission meeting, next to his wife, who was choking back tears. “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.”

Aiden was killed in August 2023 when Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian immigrant, crashed his minivan into the boy’s school bus. Joseph, who was reportedly driving with a foreign license not valid in Ohio, was convicted of first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter and fourth-degree felony vehicular homicide.

Vance has been using Clark’s story to spread outrageous lies about Haitian immigrants. He’s amplified bogus “reports” that Haitians in Springfield have been abducting people’s pets and eating them — and when pressed on his false claims, he’s only doubled down.

Trump amplified these lies in Tuesday night’s debate. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” he claimed. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”

Trump’s and Vance’s recent smears of Haitian immigrants are part of a broader anti-immigrant message that’s been a centerpiece of their campaign for the White House.

In his Tuesday remarks, Clark condemned the hatred toward Haitian immigrants that politicians have fueled by bringing up his son’s death.

“They make it seem as though our wonderful Aiden appreciates your hate. That we should follow their hate,” he said. “Look what you’ve done to us. We have to get up here and beg them to stop. Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose.”

He also named the “morally bankrupt” politicians who have been using Aiden’s name to fan anti-immigrant hatred: Trump, Vance, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ohio Senate GOP nominee Bernie Moreno.

“They have spoken my son’s name and used his death for political gain,” said Clark. ”This needs to stop. Now.”

He added that he wanted “to clear the air” about what happened to Aiden.

“My son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti,” said Clark. “Don’t spin this toward hate. In order to live like Aiden, you need to accept everyone.”

Attendees applauded as he finished his remarks.

You can watch Nathan Clark’s full speech here.