Donald Trump said Thursday night states should set their own minimum wage.
During an interview on Fox News' "Hannity," the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said, "I like letting the states set the minimum wage." Adding that the cost of living in each state is different, so they should set its own number, reports
The Hill.
"New York is totally different than if you go to Alabama or Arkansas," the billionaire developer said. "What's good for New York is not necessarily good for someone else."
Continuing the New York example, Trump thinks residents in some states need a higher wage to live there. "New York is very expensive to live in and I could see having more in New York and less in other places," he said, according to The Hill.
"In some states where it's more expensive, maybe they do have to lift the minimum wage." Adding, "states have to compete with each other."
In an interview with
CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Trump said he was open to raising the federal minimum wage, which is now set at $7.25 an hour.
"I'm looking at that. I'm very different from most Republicans," he told Blitzer. "You have to have something 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, much more money than the $15."
Appearing on NBC's
"Meet the Press" Sunday, Trump talked more about his stance on letting the states decide, saying he opposed the federal government establishing a baseline wage, or a "floor," and said, he'd "rather have the states go out and do what they have to do."
"I think people should get more," and "I don't know how people make it on $7.25 an hour," the billionaire developer added.
However, during a November 2015 presidential debate, the real estate mogul expressed a different opinion. According to
ThinkProgress, Trump said, "I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is."
And, during an
MSNBC analysis of Trump's views on minimum wage, Steve Benen said it appears he "likes the idea of people making more, but doesn't intend to do anything about it."
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