Donald Trump kicks off GOP debate by saying American wages are 'too high'

Donald Trump says U.S. wages are too low — (Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Neil Cavuto's first question at the Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee was about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and it went first to Donald Trump. Trump said he wouldn't raise the minimum wage, and the reason is that America "is a country that is being beaten on every front." The problem, he said: "Taxes 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. People have to go out, they have to work really hard, and they have to get into that upper stratum." Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.