Parents demand Trump stop using their deceased son to attack immigrants

The family of an 11-year-old child killed in a tragic accident tearfully pleaded with Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance to stop using their son’s memory to advance his anti-immigrant agenda.

Aiden Clark of Springfield, Ohio, died in August 2023 when his school bus collided with a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant. Since then, Republican politicians have repeatedly referenced the incident as part of their anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Aiden’s parents, Nathan and Danielle Clark, appeared before the Springfield City Commission on Tuesday in an attempt to stop the smears.

“Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible—for any political purpose,” Nathan Clark said. He continued:

And speaking of morally bankrupt, politicians [Republican Senate candidate] Bernie Moreno, [Rep.] Chip Roy, JD Vance, and Donald Trump—they have spoken my son’s name and used his death for political gain. This needs to stop now. 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.