The newest convert to a higher minimum wage is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Donald Trump expressed a change of heart toward the minimum wage in an CNN interview on Wednesday, according to The Hill.
“I’m looking at that, I’m very different from most Republicans,” Trump said.
Though it’s unclear whether Trump would endorse a $15 level, he’s concerned about the consequences of setting it too high.
“If you start playing around too much with the lower level number, you’re not gonna be competitive,” he said.
The shift puts Trump in line with the GOP voter base, but not the conventional wisdom of conservative policy makers.
A majority of Republican voters, 53 percent, favored increasing the minimum wage to $10.10, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center poll. That might irk fiscal conservatives, but Republican voters cautiously approach the issue as a way to give the working poor a small raise without hurting economic growth.
That doesn’t mean Trump will hold hands with Bernie Sanders during his next campaign appearance, but he’s more flexible on the issue.
“I’m open to doing something with it,” Trump said.
The economic populist approach of Trump has been seen most clearly in his opposition to current international trade agreements and demands for more protectionist policies. As Trump builds his campaign for the general election, his economic stances could become more divisive between Republican voters and the policy establishment of the GOP.
