Trump won't hire poor people for a top post - many Americans agree

President Donald Trump has said he wouldn't want a "poor person" holding a top economic post in the White House.

Mr Trump said his wealthy appointees, such as Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross (net worth: $2.5bn £2bn), had "brilliant business minds".

"That's what we need," he said at an Iowa rally. "And I love all people, rich or poor.
"But in those particular positions, I just don't want a poor person. Does that make sense?"
For many Americans, the answer is, basically, yes.
The president "should have worded that better", said Michael Washington 42, of Brooklyn, an assistant manager at a messenger service in New York.
Mr Washington said he disliked the implication that poor people are stupid.
But, he added, "it makes sense to hire someone rich because they're business-minded. I would agree
with that".
American attitudes toward the poor have shown signs of improving.
About two-thirds of Americans think the poor are hard-working, up from half in 1985, according to a 2016 survey conducted for the Los Angeles Times.
And about 55% of Americans believe the poor and non-poor have job skills that are "pretty much the same", up from 44% in 1985.
Caitlin Quigley, 27, who works at a charity in New York, said Mr Trump's conflation of wealth with talent rankled.
"Just because a person's rich doesn't say anything about their capabilities or qualifications or how they'd help us and represent us," she said.