Father of 11-year-old killed in car crash says Trump and Vance are using their son “as a political tool”

The father of an 11-year-old Ohio boy who died last year when a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant rammed his school bus said Tuesday that Donald Trump and JD Vance were “morally bankrupt politicians” who used his dead son as a political tool.

Nathan Clark of Springfield condemned the Republican presidential nomination in an impassioned speech to the city council and demanded an apology from Trump and Vance after Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, cited the death of Clark's son Aiden as a reason for his opposition to Haitian immigration.

“Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose,” Clark said during the commission's public comment period, according to a livestream of the meeting.

“This has to stop now,” he added. “I will listen to them again and hear their apologies.”

When asked for comment on Clark's statement, Vance's spokesman Luke Schroeder said Vice President Kamala Harris should apologize to people who have been victims of crimes allegedly committed by immigrants – some of whom have blamed the Biden administration and testified before Congress.

“They blame her and her open border policy for the deaths of their children,” Schroeder said in an email.

“Senator Vance is praying for the Clark family,” he said.

Representatives of Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Tuesday as Trump prepared for a debate with his Democratic opponent Harris.

On Tuesday, the Trump-Vance campaign team thrust the 11-year-old boy and his family into the nation's political spotlight. Vance alluded to Aiden in a post on X, writing that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant.” On Monday, an X account used by the Trump campaign posted a tweet about Aiden.

Aiden died on the first day of school in August 2023 when a minivan driven by a Haitian immigrant rammed the bus he was riding in. The driver, Hermanio Joseph, was found guilty of manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to nine to 13 years in prison.

The accident, which injured over 20 other students, fueled anger over a wave of immigrants from Haiti in Springfield. In recent days, that anger has become a national political issue, sparking the spread of unfounded rumors on social media about immigrants hurting other people's pets.

The Trump campaign spread false claims about Haitian immigrants on Monday and Tuesday and used the rumors to attack Harris' stance on immigration, although NBC News has not seen any statements mentioning the Clark family. Trump also posted what appeared to be artificial intelligence-generated images on Truth Social on Tuesday showing him with cats and other animals – an apparent reference to the false rumors.

The Clarks have repeatedly urged people not to link their son's death to immigration or use his death to incite hatred against Haitians.

Clark, who was accompanied by his wife Danielle at Tuesday's meeting, said it was not true that his son was “murdered” as Vance claimed.

“My son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti. This tragedy is felt throughout the community, throughout the state and even throughout the country, but do not use it for hate. To live like Aiden, you must accept everyone,” he said.

Clark named four politicians he said were “morally bankrupt” for referring to his son: Trump, Vance, Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno and Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas.

“You have spoken my son's name and exploited his death for political purposes,” he said.

“They can spew all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis, and even false claims about furry pets being trashed and eaten by community members. However, they are not allowed – and have never been allowed – to mention Aiden Clark of Springfield, Ohio,” he said.

Earlier, Trump's campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the complaints of long-time Springfield residents about immigration should be taken seriously.

“We didn't invent this. We were made aware of it by Ohioans,” Leavitt said in an interview on NBC News' “Meet the Press NOW.” She added that these people “deserve a voice.”

Nathan Clark did not respond to a request for further comment.

Moreno posted on social media this week that Haitian immigrants are “taking advantage of welfare” and repeated the baseless claim about pets. Roy also criticized Haitian immigrants in Springfield on X.

Representatives for Moreno and Roy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Clark said the rise in hatred against Haitians makes him wish his son had been “killed by a 60-year-old white man” so that “hateful people would leave us alone.”

“The last thing we need is to have the worst day of our lives constantly and violently forced in our faces,” he said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.