Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said that you can’t live on the current federal minimum wage of $7.25-an-hour and that he was “looking at that, because I’m very different from most Republicans. I mean, you have to have something that you can live on” during an interview broadcast on Wednesday’s “Situation Room” on CNN. Trump was asked, “Bernie Sanders says he wants $15-an-hour minimum wage, and he has really gone after you lately for saying you’re happy with $7.25, the current federal minimum wage. You can’t live on $7.25-an-hour.”
He responded, “No, and I’m actually looking at that, because I’m very different from most Republicans. I mean, you have to have something that you can live on, but what I’m really looking to do, is get people great jobs so they make much more money than that, so they make much money — more money than the $15. Now, if you start playing around too much with the lower level, the lower level number, you’re not going to be competitive.”
When asked what he would recommend as a federal minimum wage, Trump stated, “I’m looking at it.”
He was then asked if he was open to raising the wage, he said, “I’m open to doing something with it, because I don’t like that. But what I really do like bringing our jobs back, so they’re making much more than the $15.”
