Walker calls minimum wage 'lame'

Referring to the minimum wage as “lame,” Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker outlined the differences between his conservative labor agenda and those of his Democratic opponents.

Hours after announcing his candidacy for president, Walker took to the airwaves in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News to defend his anti-union track record of success in his home state, as well as attempt to refute remarks made against him.


“The left claims they’re for American workers, and they’ve got lame ideas, things like minimum wage,” Walker said. “We need to talk about how we get people skills and qualifications they need to get jobs that go beyond minimum wage.”

Leading Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka were among the first to publicly speak out against Walker’s run for the highest elected office in the country. Clinton criticized Walker as an impediment to workers’ rights, while Trumka called him “a national disgrace.”

“The reason they’re upset, the reason Hillary Clinton said what she said was we took power out of the big hands union bosses and put it into the hands of the hard-working people,” the Wisconsin Republican added.

Walker’s tenure has included a high-profile clash with Wisconsin’s teachers union, which ultimately led to a recall election that he successfully won.

Walker argues he is pro-worker because he is providing Americans with choices, including more freedom from government regulation and oversight.

“They recognize that we not only fight, we fight and win,” he told Hannity. “We’ve won three times in four years in a purple blue state. We won on the issues.”

Key issues on his conservative agenda include a reduction in both taxes and the federal government’s overall reach, as well as a tough stance on foreign policy issues such as Iran and Russia.