Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson reversed his previous support for a minimum wage increase, telling Tuesday night's audience at the GOP debate: "I would not raise it."
 
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Carson, who is statistically tied with Republican rival Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpBooker backpedals after comparing Warren's Facebook proposal to Trump Booker: 'Thoughts and prayers' after gun violence are 'bullshit' Mike Pence tells Liberty University graduates to prepare to be 'shunned,' 'ridiculed' for being a Christian MORE for the lead in national polls, maintained that "every time we raise the minimum wage, the number of jobless people increases."'
 
That's a shift in his position from May, when Carson told CNBC’s John Harwood, “I think, probably, it should be higher than now."
 
 
During the debate, Carson said he would "not have gotten [early] jobs if someone had to pay me a large amount of money. But what I did gain from those jobs is a tremendous amount of experience and how to operate in the world.”
 
Asked whether he was sympathetic to calls to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Trump kicked off by replying to moderator Neil Cavuto: "I can't be, Neil."
 
Trump's reason for refusing a minimum wage boost was that America was getting "beaten on every front," militarily and economically, by foreign countries.
 
"I hate to say it but we have to leave it the way it is," Trump said. "People have to work very hard ... and get into this upper stratum."
 
Rising establishment candidate Rubio said nor would he raise the minimum wage and that America needs more welders and fewer philosophers.
Tags Donald Trump Marco Rubio GOP debate