Donald Trump on Thursday stood by his earlier assertion that American "wages are too high."

The leading Republican presidential candidate said the U.S. must keep wages low in order to globally compete with other countries.

"Whether it's taxes or wages, if they're too high we're not going to be able to compete with other countries," Trump said during an early morning Fox News appearance.

The billionaire real estate mogul first broached the subject during Tuesday night's Republican debate. Trump, as did fellow Republican presidential candidates, opposes a federal wage increase.

"I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is," he told debate moderator Neil Cavuto when asked if he would raise wages. "People have to go out, they have to work really hard and have to get into that upper stratum. But we cannot do this if we are going to compete with the rest of the world. We just can't do it."

"Our taxes are too high. Our wages are too high. We have to compete with other countries," Trump reiterated during a Wednesday morning interview on MSNBC, in which the candidate was pressed on whether people can survive on the current federal minimum wage of $7.25.

In a recent NBC poll, Trump tied with Ben Carson atop the crowded Republican field with 26 percent of the vote, followed by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and 10 and 9 percent, respectively. Trump, however, ranks ahead of all his rivals in voter perception of who would best handle the economy.

As Latin Post reported, polling data conducted by Latino Decisions found 55 percent of Latino voters are more likely to support an elected official who votes for a minimum wage increase.

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