The father of an 11-year-old boy who died last year delivered an emotional speech ahead of the presidential debate Tuesday, rebuking Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and others for mischaracterizing the circumstances around his son’s death.
By Azi Paybarah
Moreno is the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Ohio and Roy is a Republican member of Congress from Texas.
Aiden Clark was killed on Aug. 22, 2023, after the school bus he was on was hit by a vehicle driven by Hermanio Joseph. The driver, a 36-year-old immigrant from Haiti, did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash and in May was sentenced to a prison term of nine to 13½ years, the Springfield News-Sun reported.
Clark’s death has been amplified by Trump, Vance and other Republicans who have sought to attack Vice President Kamala Harris on immigration and attempted to portray Americans as less safe because of undocumented immigrants who have entered the United States since President Joe Biden and Harris took office.
“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’s official campaign account wrote on Monday to their more than 3 million followers on X and TruthSocial. “Kamala Harris has refused to say Aiden’s name.”
Vance went further, writing Tuesday morning on X: “Do you know what’s confirmed? That a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant who had no right to be here.”
In the public meeting later that evening, Clark noted that he “will listen to them one more time to hear their apologies” but denounced hateful rhetoric toward Haitian immigrants that has amplified since his son’s death.
“To clear the air, my son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered,” Clark said. “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.”
Spokespeople for Trump and Vance did not apologize for how they talked about the younger Clark’s death, nor back away from their prior statements.
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“We hope the media will continue to cover the stories of the very real suffering and tragedies experienced by the people of Springfield, Ohio — many which haven’t been given nearly the level of attention they deserve until now because they don’t fit the liberal mainstream media narrative,” Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, said.
In response to a follow-up question about Clark’s request for an apology for the Republican candidates’ rhetoric, Leavitt sent a statement that read in part, “We are deeply sorry to the Clark family for the loss of their son.”
Luke Schroeder, a spokesman for Vance, also said in a statement that “Kamala Harris should apologize to the angel mothers who testified before Congress yesterday” and added “Will she apologize to Tammy Nobles, Alexis Nungaray, or Anne Fundner? They hold her and her open borders policies accountable for the deaths of their children. The Clark family is in Senator Vance’s prayers.”
Reagan McCarthy, a Moreno campaign spokeswoman, argued that Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), whom Moreno is trying to unseat, and Harris “are the ones who should be apologizing.”
“The reckless open border policies of Sherrod Brown and Kamala Harris are causing death and destruction across our entire nation,” McCarthy added. “The Clark family will always be in Bernie’s prayers.”
A spokesperson for Roy did not immediately provide a comment.
Trump and Vance have also spread baseless conspiracy theories about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, killing and eating pets in the area — a claim that has been unsubstantiated by the local police and officials. Trump repeated the claim during Tuesday night’s debate with Harris, even after moderator David Muir of ABC News said no credible evidence of the claim has surfaced.
“I’ve seen people on television … the people on television claimed, ‘My dog was taken and used for food,’” Trump said.
