Nathan Clark’s son, from Springfield, Ohio, died in a traffic accident last year. Now the father appeals to Donald Trump.
– Don’t use my dead son for political gain, he says in an emotional speech.
Aiden Clark, from Springfield, died aged 11 last August. His death has been used by both presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice-presidential candidate JD Vance:
“REMEMBER: 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed on his way to school by a Haitian migrant that Kamala Harris let into the country,” Trump wrote on social media, reports The Washington Post.
“A child was murdered by a Haitian migrant who had no right to be here,” JD Vance wrote.
But Aiden Clark was not murdered. He died in a traffic accident, when a car hit his school bus.
“Please stop”
It was a Haitian migrant who was driving the car that collided with the school bus. Now the father, Nathan Clark, is appealing for Trump to stop using his son for political gain.
– Please stop the hate. One of the worst feelings in the world is not being able to protect your child. Even worse, we can’t even protect his memory now that he’s gone, says the father.
Great migration debate
The father gave the speech at a commission meeting in the city. Springfield has been at the center of the American political debate since Trump, in the televised debate against Kamala Harris, said that Haitian migrants eat farm animals in the city – a claim refuted by the mayor.
– They can spew all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis and even false claims about fluffy pets being eaten by migrants. But they cannot, and have never been allowed to, mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, says the father in the speech.
The father pointed out in the speech that the son was not murdered, but was accidentally killed in the accident.
– Using Aiden as a political tool is reprehensible, to say the least, regardless of political aims. This tragedy is felt across this community, the state and even the nation. But don’t turn this into hate, says Nathan Clark.