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.
Trump faced similar backlash earlier in the year when the family of murder victim Ruby Garcia slammed Trump for invoking her name while attacking migrants.
The debunked hoax about Haitian migrants in Springfield eating family pets was initially amplified by neo-Nazis on the social media network Gab. Then, earlier this week, Vance promoted the falsehoods, even as local law enforcement said the claims were untrue.
During the presidential debate, Trump again cited the fake story.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating—the pets of the people that live there and this is what’s happening in our country,” Trump said.
Debate moderator David Muir fact-checked Trump on air, telling viewers the story was false. Trump refused to back down and said he was in the right because “people on television” had referenced the allegation.
Responding to Trump during the debate, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris said, “Talk about extreme.” She went on to say the story and other similar claims from Trump are why she has received endorsements from across the political spectrum, including from Republicans like former Rep. Liz Cheney and former Vice President Dick Cheney.
“When we listen to this kind of rhetoric, when the issues that affect the American people are not being addressed, I think the choice is clear in this election,” Harris concluded.
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