CNBC's Kelly Evans Hints Socialist Sanders Out of Touch with Small-Town: 'Walmart Was a Godsend'

February 2nd, 2016 5:44 PM

Bernie Sanders is out of touch with the experience of many small-town Americans, CNBC anchor Kelly Evans hinted on the February 2 Closing Bell program. The local Walmart in her small town growing up was a "godsend," according to Evans, who was raised in Lexington, Va.

Evans made the remarks following a report by colleague John Harwood in which he played a soundbite of the Vermont socialist blasting the "unacceptability" of "the Walton family of Walmart owning more wealth than the bottom 40 percent" of Americans.

"All I'll say is as somebody growing up in a small town, Walmart was a godsend," Evans noted, adding rather diplomatically, "I don't know what we would have done without that place, um, but, we'll see what else Bernie Sanders has to say."

Here's a short video of Evans's remark and the relevant transcript:

CNBC
Closing Bell
February 2, 2016; 4:48 p.m. Eastern
Onscreen graphic: “On to New Hampshire”

JOHN HARWOOD, live via satellite from Manchester, N.H.: Now, the better Bernie Sanders does, the more attention there’s going to be to the way that he talks about concentrations of wealth in the United States, including with reference to the Walton family, one of very small number of super wealthy families. Listen to Bernie Sanders today.

Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (D-N.H.) addressing rally: It is about the unacceptability of one family, the Walton family of Walmart owning more wealth than the bottom 40 percent.

HARWOOD: Now, of course, it's not clear how much of a liability that will be among voters, there's a lot of populist concern about income inequality, but some Democratic elected officials are worried that Bernie Sanders would hurt their ability to compete and it's going to get a lot of attention from the upper reaches of American business who are not going to like the way that Bernie Sanders talks about a political revolution and he’s looking right at them.

KELLY EVANS: Yeah, John. Thank you, and, as somebody growing up in a small town, Walmart was a godsend. I don't know what we would have done without that place. Um, but we'll see what else Bernie has to say. Our John Harwood in New Hampshire today…

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