Former US First Lady, Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is heading Down Under to talk about her experience in the 2016 US election, where she lost to Donald Trump.
Mrs. Clinton is expected to share some stories about her failed bid to become the first female US president, as well as some highlights from her New York Times bestseller, What Happened, which was released in September.
The book revealed some very personal experiences in coping with the loss to Trump, as the author herself states in the beginning "I had to fight back a wave of sadness that threatened to swallow me whole. At every step, I felt I had let everyone down. Because I had."
The cheapest seats go for AUS $195 ($154 US dollars), while VIP access is ensured for AUS $495 ($392 US dollars) per ticket, which includes an invitation to a pre-event cocktail party and a copy of the book. Since Mrs. Clinton left office, she has earned more than $300,000 US from public speaking engagements, according to Australian Financial Review.
The price-tag for the event has resulted in many angry tweets.
Hilary Clinton is charging $195 per head for brief speech tour of Aus/NZ in May. Students are welcome. Strictly no discounts.
— Rob Phillips (@robbyyy) February 19, 2018
She’ll be talking about how she lost the election; social justice; and may be available afterwards for paid book signings and autographs.
😂
Dodgy Direkt, partnering with Goldman Sachs is awfully proud to bring to Australia.. the one, the ONLY!!!!! HILLARY CLINTON! That's right! But that's not all.. pay $195 now and you'll also receive balloons and the book, 'Why Bernie would have destroyed Donald Trump'.
— Ayrton Evans (@AyrtonEvans_) February 19, 2018
SATIRE.
Hillary Clinton is coming to Australia to talk about her plans after losing the 2016 US election to Trump https://t.co/gugqkanHaS
— The Australian (@australian) February 19, 2018
These are backed with some unwelcoming tweets.
Hillary Clinton coming to Australia? I thought we had a ban on known criminals entering in.
— Frog! (@WallyFrogmore) February 19, 2018
If Mike Tyson and rappers Odd Future were banned from entering New Zealand, how come Hillary Clinton is OK to enter? https://t.co/m4cPPmyy3s
— The Redbaiter (@Redbaiternz) February 19, 2018
We’ve imported enough criminals, we don’t need this one. https://t.co/M6cEXbivGG
— Avi Yemini 🇦🇺🇮🇱 (@OzraeliAvi) February 19, 2018
According to media outlets, Mrs. Clinton is also expected to take part in a series of business events, as well as to visit a close friend in Adelaide, whose identity has been kept secret.
READ MORE: Twitter Explodes With Memes as Joe Biden Reportedly Mulls Run for Presidency
This spring New Zealand will also be a destination for former US President Barack Obama. Despite promises to visit the country, Obama never did while he was in office. According to local media outlet The Herald, Obama's visit, planned for March, has been arranged by Air New Zealand and may be connected with the launch of a new route to the US. However, the company has neither confirmed this connection nor their expenses for the event. According to Bloomberg, a speech delivered by Obama for a Wall Street firm in 2017 cost $400,000.