Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump argued during an interview Sunday the minimum wage should be a state issue, days after saying he was open to a federal increase.
“The states compete with each other, not only other countries, but they compete with each other,” Trump said on “Meet the Press.” “So I like the idea of let the states decide. But I think people should get more. I think they’re out there. They’re working. It is a very low number. You know, with what’s happened to the economy, with what’s happened to the cost. I mean, it’s just– I don’t know how you live on $7.25 an hour. But I would say let the states decide.”
Trump has changed his view on the minimum wage several times throughout the election. He said Nov. 12 during a Fox News interview he believes the minimum wage should not be increased. He later tweeted Dec. 28 wages were too low. CNN asked Trump May 5 what he would do as president, and he said he’d be open to raising the minimum wage. “Open to raising the minimum wage?” He said. “Open to doing something with it.”
“I’m actually looking at that because I am very different from most Republicans,” Trump said. “You have to have something that you can live on but what I’m really looking to do is to get people great jobs so so they make money more than that, they make more money than the $15 minimum wage.”
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has also struggled with holding a consistent view on the minimum wage. She originally said the federal minimum wage should not exceed $12 an hour but said she meant that as a step towards eventually reaching $15 an hour. Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders has supported the $15 minimum wage throughout the election.
Supporters of the minimum wage increase argue it could help lift people out of poverty. Opponents warn raising the minimum wage could actually hurt the very people it’s trying to help by forcing employers to cutback on their workforce or raise prices to overcome the added cost of labor.
Trump did not respond to requests for comment by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
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