Vice President Kamala Harris said for the first time Tuesday that she backs hiking the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour after blasting former President Donald Trump for dodging a question about whether he wants to raise it.
As the two rivals race to win over voters in the final weeks of the campaign, Harris and Trump have both tried to demonstrate their support for working-class Americans. The federal minimum wage – which has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009 – has become a talking point recently, especially after Trump temporarily worked as a fry attendant at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
While Harris has said for months that she would push to raise the minimum wage, she did not specify a threshold until asked by NBC News on Tuesday.
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“At least $15 an hour, but we’ll work with Congress, right? That’s something that is going through Congress,” Harris told NBC as part of its interview with the candidate.
Trump, however, didn’t answer directly when asked during his brief stint at McDonald’s whether he thinks the federal minimum wage should be lifted, saying “Well, I think this: I think these people work hard, they’re great.”
Asked to respond to Harris’ support for a $15 minimum wage, the Trump campaign cited a statement from Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelly that accused Harris of “lowering real wages and raising prices via reckless spending.”
Harris took Trump’s punt as opportunity on Monday to show the contrast between her and her Republican rival, though she did not reveal at that time how high she would want to raise the threshold.
“So, there is a big difference between Donald Trump and me on a number of issues, including this, where I absolutely believe we must raise minimum wage and that hardworking Americans, whether they’re working at McDonald’s or anywhere else, should have at least the ability to be able to take care of their family and take care of themselves in a way that allows them to actually be able to sustain their needs,” she said ahead of a campaign stop in Michigan.
Full-time workers earning $7.25 an hour make $15,000 a year, “which is essentially poverty wages,” noted Harris, who included a promise to raise the federal minimum wage in her proposal to eliminate federal income taxes on tips, which she unveiled in August.
Harris unveils support for $15 minimum wage after slamming Trump’s McDonald’s visit