Donald Trump Jr. has been subtly dodging a Ohio father's plea not to drag his dead son's story in the former president's campaign attacks on Haitian immigrants.
Trump Jr. this week has published at least three posts on X that make subtle reference to Aiden Clark — the 11-year-old Springfield boy killed in 2023 when a Haitian driver hit his school bus — since Tuesday, the same day his father Nathan asked former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance to stop.
"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," Clark said Tuesday evening. "Using Aiden as a political tool is, to say the least, reprehensible for any political purpose."
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The same day, Trump Jr. shared a post — that still remains on X — that includes a screenshot of the Daily Mail's report on the immigration status of the Haitian driver, Hermanio Joseph, that mentions Clark's son by name.
"Border Czar Kamala Harris imported nearly 4.5% of the total population of Haiti with zero vetting into our country and these are the results," Trump Jr. wrote.
On Sept. 12, Trump Jr. shared the story of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray whose death her mother and prosecutors contend was the work of two men who entered this country illegally.
"Nungaray was murdered by two illegal aliens," Trump Jr. wrote. "Let's make it go viral."
While Trump Jr. did not mention Clark, several followers noted the similarity to the two narratives.
"Please remember Rachel Morin and Laken Riley and Aiden Clark and the many others murdered by illegal immigrants," replied Angela O'Regan. "Avoidable deaths every single one."
"Like Aiden clark was?" asked X user Phyllis. "Leave these poor families alone."
Then, on Thursday, hours after two schools in Springfield were evacuated over a threat warning from police, Trump Jr. shared a post from his aggregation app MXM News that claims Haitians are responsible for up to 10 car accidents in Springfield every day.
This is based, not off of data, but a hyperbolic quote an anonymous resident told the New York Post in an article that highlights Aiden Clark's death.
"This is why people w perfect driving records are still seeing insane insurance premium increases," wrote Trump Jr. "Haitian migrants are responsible for eight to ten car accidents daily in Springfield, Ohio, leading to safety concerns among residents."
Aiden Clark's death became a national talking point this week when Sen. J.D. Vance sought to justify his debunked claim that Haitian immigrants had been eating local pets.
"Do you know what's confirmed?" Vance wrote. "That a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant who had no right to be here."
Despite Nathan Clark's request that Aiden Clark's story not be used as a talking point — and reporting that shows Joseph was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide not murder — the post remained on X as of Friday afternoon.
"This tragedy is felt all over this community, this state and even the nation — but don’t spin this towards hate," Nathan Clark said. "In order to live like Aiden, you need to accept everyone, choose to shine, make the difference, lead the way and be the inspiration."
