Marco Rubio wants 'more welders and less philosophers'

Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In Marco Rubio's vision of a perfect America, there are more welders than philosophers.

During Fox Business Network's Republican presidential debate Tuesday night in Milwaukee, the Florida senator said that what makes the U.S. special is the "millions and millions of people who are not rich," but through "hard work and perseverance are able to be successful." The problem, he said, is the economy does not provide jobs that pay enough. "If I thought raising the minimum wage was the best way to help people increase their pay, I would be all for it," Rubio said. "But it isn't. In the 21st century, it's a disaster. If you raise the minimum wage, you're gonna make people more expensive than a machine and that means all this automation that is replacing jobs and people right now is only going to be accelerated."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.