Bad answer. The minimum wage is whatever wage level that is needed to attract and retain workers with the needed skills to do the job. That varies among occupations and geographical regions. Why couldn’t Trump say that?
1) Because Trump likes a little socialism here and there.
2) He's pandering to the Berners. Since Bernie is a flat-out Marxist, as are his supporters, there's little else anyone can do to reach them.
This is what actually trying to win an election looks like. He’s effectively taken the minimum-wage issue off the table — and, at the same time, made absolutely no promises to actually increase the minimum wage (leave it to the states). If Trump had given a crystal-pure conservative response (e.g. “let the markets set the wages”), you can be certain that the Dems would turn it into a wedge issue. No LIVs would be aware that it’s up to the states.
Once again, Trump, the political wizard, has made an issue disappear, right before your eyes.
Trump is bending on some of these hot topics favored by the Libs. His escape is his repeated statement that it is a local issue. Let’s see how it develops and focus on larger issues such as the terrorist invasion championed by Hillary, Kaine and even Paul Ryan.