Sen. Bernie Sanders took his crusade against Walmart to the mammoth retailer's annual meeting Wednesday, backing an ultimately failed push to give workers a spot on the company board.

The Vermont independent stopped in Bentonville, Arkansas, in the heat of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary to show support for Walmart's hourly associates. Sanders — who has long pushed the retailer to boost wages and benefits — sees condemnation of corporate titans as a way to separate himself from a crowded Democratic field.

The senator introduced a shareholder proposal — on behalf of Walmart employee and labor advocate Cat Davis — that would make the company's roughly 1.5 million hourly workers eligible for board nominations. Founder Sam Walton's family holds a majority of the company's shares and opposed the measure.

"Walmart can strike a blow against corporate greed and a grotesque level of income and wealth inequality that exists in our country," Sanders said in a two-minute comment introducing the proposal and calling for wage increases at Walmart.

It failed overwhelmingly, the company said later Wednesday.

Sanders' appearance holds obvious political benefits for the senator. He criticized Walmart's leadership while standing in the same room as its CEO Doug McMillon — and backed the working-class voters he hopes will help propel him to the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Frankly, the American people are sick and tired of subsidizing the greed of some of the largest and most profitable corporations in this country," Sanders added during his remarks, noting that some Walmart employees rely on public assistance programs such as Medicaid.