Donald Trump has apparently changed his tune regarding wages in America and now emphatically states that hard-working Americans are not earning enough.
The best way to describe the situation is to look at the Tweets and comments from all involved:
On Monday, Trump tweeted that, “Wages in are [sic] country are too low, good jobs are too few, and people have lost faith in our leaders. We need smart and strong leadership now!”
Back in November, when asked about the possible $15/hour minimum wage and whether he was sympathetic towards that, Trump responded simply that, “I can’t be.”
Also back in November, Trump said that, “[T]axes 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 [the minimum wage] the way it is. People have to go out, they have to work really hard and have to get into that upper stratum. But we cannot do this if we are going to compete with the rest of the world. We just can’t do it.”
After Trump made these statements, he tried to clarify them, stating that he was not speaking of wages in general – only about the federal minimum wage which has stayed at $7.25 since 2009.
Over the weekend, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders used Trump’s comments against the Republican: “This is a guy who does not want to raise minimum wage. In fact, he has said that wages in America are too high.”
In response, Trump responded that, “[Bernie Sanders]–who blew his campaign when he gave Hillary a pass on her e-mail crime, said that I feel wages in America are too high. Lie!”
All sorts of political analysts and politicians note that one of the primary reasons that Trump’s campaign is gaining traction with so many Americans is because the middle class is struggling.
Sanders commented that, “Many of Trump’s supporters are working-class people and they’re angry. They’re angry because they’re working longer hours for lower wages. They’re angry because their jobs have left this country and gone to China or other low-wage countries. They’re angry because they can’t afford to send their kids to college so they can’t retire with dignity.”
On Monday, Trump touched on these issues: “The middle-class has worked so hard, are not getting the kind of jobs that they have long dreamed of – and no effective raise in years. BAD. Many of the great jobs that the people of our country want are long gone, shipped to other countries. We now are part time, sad! I WILL FIX!”
When describing why Sanders supporters are flocking to Trump, Trump states that, “Strange, but I see wacko Bernie Sanders allies coming over to me because I’m lowering taxes, while he will double & triple them, a disaster!”
Trump’s has also stepped up his criticism of Wall Street – saying that hedge funds are “getting away with murder”.
In clarifying these responses a Trump spokeswoman stated that, “Mr. Trump is self-funding his campaign and is not beholden to these big money donors of Wall Street or any other group. The only special interest Mr. Trump is beholden to is the American people.”
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