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The father of an 11-year-old US boy who died in a bus crash has delivered a withering rebuke to politicians using his death to score points in a heated debate over illegal immigration.
Nathan Clark, father of Aiden Clark, named Presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance as he addressed a public meeting held before Trump’s televised debate against Kamala Harris.
“I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man. I bet you never thought someone would say something that blunt, but if that guy killed my 11-year-old son the incessant hate-spewing people would leave us alone,” Clark said.
“Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose.
“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,” he told the meeting in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio.
Authorities did not find evidence he had consumed drugs or alcohol. He could face nine years in prison.
Immigration has become a key talking point in the run-up to November’s US Presidential election and Republican politicians have repeatedly used Clark’s death in attacks against Harris and the Democrats.
Trump and Vance were both criticised by the grieving dad. Photo / Getty Images
Trump and Vance have both used his death to suggest that undocumented migrants to the US make Americans less safe.
The authorities did not find evidence he had consumed alcohol or drugs. In May, Joseph, 36, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and could serve up to nine years in prison.
“REMEMBER: 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed on his way to school by a Haitian migrant that Kamala Harris let into the country in Springfield, Ohio,” Trump wrote on social media.
Vance was more outspoken, writing: “Do you know what’s confirmed? That a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant who had no right to be here.”
“To clear the air, my son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered,” Clark said at the meeting.
“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.”
“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,” he said.
Nathan Clark said he will only listen to the politicians once more, “to hear their apologies”.
