‘Don’t use his death for political gain’: Who was 11-year-old Aiden Clark, whose parents slammed Vance and Trump?

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

A grieving Nathan Clark has lashed out at Donald J Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, rebuking them for using his son — Aiden’s — death for “political gain”.

“Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose,” Nathan Clark was quoted as saying by the Washington Post on Tuesday, during a public meeting in Springfield, Ohio. “And speaking of morally bankrupt politicians, Bernie Moreno, Chip Roy, JD Vance and Donald Trump. They have spoken my son’s name and use his death for political gain. This needs to stop now.”

Who is Aiden Clark? How did he die? What has JD Vance and Trump said about Clark’s death? And why are his parents rebuking the Republican leaders?

Angry Nathan Clark lashes out

Hours before the US presidential debate was to start, Nathan Clark and his wife stood before the Springfield City Commission meeting and urged Trump and Vance to stop using his son, Aiden, to spread hate. He also begged them to stop using his son’s name “as a political tool” to fuel racist attacks on Haitian immigrants in their small community.

Choking back tears, Nathan in a three-minute speech said: “I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man. 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.”

He condemned the former US president and his current running mate for spreading hatred against Haitian immigrants. “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.”

Vance, Trump and Aiden Clark

Clark’s impassioned speech comes after Trump and Vance have used the death of 11-year-old Aiden to target Kamala Harris in the White House race and her stance on immigration .

On Monday, the Trump campaign posted on social media about Aiden, including his photo.

Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate, JD Vance, also posted on Aiden, referring to him as a “child that was murdered by a Haitian migrant.”

This is a continuing narrative from both Trump and Vance about the dangers that Haitian immigrants pose to Americans, especially in Springfield, Ohio . Earlier, Vance and other right-wingers had also claimed that Haitian immigrants were eating pet cats, dogs and ducks — a claim that Trump reiterated during his debate with Kamala Harris in Philadelphia. They are using this narrative to attack Harris and her stance on immigration.

Truth behind Aiden’s death

In his speech, Aiden’s father, Nathan, said, “My son was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti.”

So, what’s the truth behind Aiden’s death? On August 22, 2023, 11-year-old Aiden was killed at Lawrenceville, northwest of Springfield in Clark County in a bus crash when a car, driven by Haitian immigrant Hermanio Joseph, veered into the path of the bus, colliding with it and sending it off the side of the road. At least 20 other schoolchildren were injured.

Joseph, 36, did not have a valid driver’s licence at the time of the crash and in May was sentenced to a prison term of nine to 13.5 years. The 36-year-old was in Springfield under protected immigration status, reported The Independent.

According to Aiden’s obituary, he loved sports and learning, and he loved to garden vegetables with his dad. He also enjoyed jumping on the trampoline with his sister, making Minecraft worlds with his older brother and snuggling with his mom, Danielle Clark.

Reacting to Nathan’s strong criticism, Luke Schroeder, a spokesman for JD Vance, said that Vice President Kamala Harris should apologise to people who are victims of crime allegedly committed by immigrants. “They hold her and her open borders policies accountable for the deaths of their children,” Schroeder said in an email.

“The Clark family is in Senator Vance’s prayers,” he said.

With inputs from agencies