Donald Trump is doubling down on his controversial statement during the fourth Republican debate Tuesday that wages in the U.S. are "too high."
The billionaire GOP candidate told moderators Tuesday he would not raise the federal minimum wage if elected president because doing so would negatively impact America's position as a competitive global economy.
"Taxes [are] too high, wages too high, we're not going to be able to compete against the world. I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is," Trump told Fox Business Network's Neil Cavuto.
On Thursday, Fox News' Elisabeth Hasselbeck asked Trump, "How do you avoid someone morphing you into a heartless CEO jerk when [you're] talking about wages having to stay the same?"
"Let me just explain," Trump told Hasselbeck and her co-hosts. "They were talking about increasing the minimum wage. And whether it's taxes or minimum wages, if they're too high, we're not going to be able to compete with other countries."
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
More from Politics
