‘People Have To Get More’: Donald Trump Supports Minimum Wage Increase, But Will Leave It To The States To Decide
The presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has changed his stance on minimum wage, claiming that “people have to get more.” The Republican candidate once denounced minimum wage increases but says that after traveling the country, he sees the need for minimum wage reform. However, unlike his Democrat counterparts, Trump says that the minimum wage hike should be left up to the states to decide and not federally mandated.
The New York Post reports that GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has acknowledged that his opinion on minimum wage increases has changed after traveling across the country on his campaign trail. Trump says that while he was once quoted as calling the $7.25 minimum wage “too high,” after traveling the country he now sees that minimum wage is a real problem. The real estate tycoon says that he doesn’t know how people can survive with a $7.25 wage and that “people have to get more.”
.@realDonaldTrump talks proposed tax plan and raising the minimum wage. https://t.co/TgoLVjlEFA #ThisWeekhttps://t.co/Pd2dYdjc9A
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 8, 2016
The statement was made in a recent Meet The Press interview in which Trump notes that while his statement may be “a change” to his previous stance on the issue, he claims that he is “allowed to change” and is doing so regarding the minimum wage issue. However, Trump is not wanting to enforce a minimum wage increase at the federal level, instead, he says that the decision should be left up to the states but indicates that he would be an advocate for increases when the time comes.
“I have seen what’s going on, and I don’t know how people make it on $7.25. With that being said, I would like to see an increase of some magnitude, but I’d rather leave it to the states. Let the states decide.”
However, Trump isn’t completely ruling out a federal income tax increase but seems to be taking a “wait and see” approach to the issue. He says he isn’t set on a specific “number” but his “real minimum wage” is going to increase due to Trump’s plans to bring business back into the country from overseas.
The minimum wage issue isn’t the only one that Donald Trump is reconsidering. The businessman also stated during his interview with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd that he would also consider raising taxes on the rich. Trump’s original tax plan called for tax cuts across the board, including cuts to the wealthy but the removal of tax loopholes. Therefore, everyone within a certain income bracket would pay the same tax rate without all the hassle. However, Trump notes that his massive tax cut plan would likely not make it through Congress so he must be willing to make some concessions. According to the GOP candidate, those concessions will likely come at the expense of the rich.
“I come up with the biggest tax cut, by far, of any candidate. Anybody. And I put it in. But that doesn’t mean that’s what we’re gonna get. We have to negotiate. For the wealthy, I think frankly it’s gonna go up. And, you know what? It really should go up. When it comes time to negotiate, I feel less concerned with the rich than I do with the middle class. The rich is probably gonna end up paying more.”
Donald Trump on taxes and the minimum wage: Then and nowhttps://t.co/v6ykrLcDe2
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 8, 2016
In other words, Trump knows that his massive tax overhaul has little chance of making it through Congress as is, so the presidential hopeful wants to ensure that his tax cuts for the middle class are left intact so he is willing to give up his cuts for the rich to ensure the middle class see the cuts he has promised.
What do you think of Donald Trump’s latest proposals regarding taxing the rich and increasing minimum wage?
[Image by Jae C. Hong/ AP Photo]
