ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — President Barack Obama is pushing for a higher minimum wage because he says Americans who work full time should not be in poverty.

The president followed up his call for the increase from $7.25 to $9 an hour in Tuesday night's State of the Union address with a trip to a North Carolina manufacturing plant.

Canadian-based Linamar Corp. opened a former Volvo plant in Asheville that had gone dark and rehired some of its workers. Obama touted it as an example of America attracting jobs from overseas.

He says the key to reviving America's economy is to bring more jobs to the United States, give Americans the skills they need to perform them and provide those workers with a decent living.