In an interview Tuesday evening, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he supports raising the minimum wage by more than one-third.
The real-estate tycoon, who has frequently deviated from historic Republican orthodoxy on economic matters, said on Fox News Channel that he would increase the federal minimum wage from the current $7.25 per hour to $10.
Mr. Trump said on the “O’Reilly Factor” that he would “raise it somewhat” and that while he’d prefer states to do so themselves, many weren’t doing it.
“You need to help people, and I know it’s not very Republican to say, but you need to help people,” he said. “I would say $10, but with the understanding that somebody like me is going to bring back jobs, I don’t want people to be in that $10 category for very long.”
During the Democratic-primary campaign, Sen. Bernard Sanders called for a $15 federal minimum wage. Eventual nominee Hillary Clinton came around to that view, though she at first said it should “only” be raised to $12 nationally while adding that she supported efforts by states and cities to make it higher where appropriate to local situations.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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