Aiden Clark Was Killed by an Unlicensed Haitian Immigrant — His Death Is Being Exploited by Trump

According to Politico, the Trump War Room X account was previously run by Donald Trump's reelection campaign's rapid response team. Any missives from the former president will undoubtedly end up there. Since the September 2024 debate between Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Trump War Room account has largely been devoted to posting about illegal Haitian immigrants in the United States.

These posts began after Trump loosely echoed something JD Vance claimed was happening in Springfield, Ohio. The Republican vice presidential candidate said illegal Haitian immigrants are abducting then eating people's pets. All of this is in service of questioning VP Harris's time as the border czar, which brings us to Aiden Clark. Trump is now name-checking him and using his death for political gain. So, what happened to Aiden Clark? Here's what we know.

In August 2023, a van being driven by 36-year-old Hermania Joseph crossed the center line of Route 41 in Clark County and collided with a school bus, reported the Springfield News-Sun. Of the 53 individuals on board, only one was killed. Aiden Clark, 11, died after being ejected from the bus. Joseph, an immigrant from Haiti, was indicted and charged with first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter and fourth-degree felony vehicular homicide.

During his trial, Joseph revealed that he was born in Haiti then traveled in 2014 to Brazil, Chile, and then Mexico where he obtained a Mexican driver's license in 2022. At that time he flew to Texas and drove to Springfield where he settled with his spouse and four children. He never obtained a license from the state of Ohio and therefore was driving illegally the day he killed Clark.

During his testimony, Joseph claimed he was temporarily blinded by the sun the day of the accident, which is why he drifted over into the other lane. It was later revealed that the visor in Joseph's van was in fact down. Regardless, Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Miller reminded the jurors that this was irrelevant as he was breaking the law by driving without a state-issued license. The jury agreed and sentenced Joseph to 13 years in prison, per NBC News.

This brings us back to the Trump War Room X account which posted about Clark on Sept. 9, 2024. "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," said the post. "Kamala Harris has refused to say Aiden's name." In response to this, Clark's father, Nathan Clark, made a statement regarding his son.

The day after this was posted, Nathan spoke at a public meeting being held in Springfield, per The Washington Post. "Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose," he said. "And speaking of morally bankrupt politicians, Bernie Moreno, 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."

Nathan also addressed a post from Vance wherein he said Clark was murdered by a Haitian immigrant. "To clear the air, my son, Aiden Clark, was not murdered," Nathan explained. "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." The Trump campaign did not directly respond to Nathan's statements.