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Arts & Entertainment

Bill and Hillary Clinton find hordes of supporters during first D-FW visit since election 

In the same way music fans attend a live show to hear beloved anthems firsthand, a crowd of "I'm With Her" fans packed into Toyota Music Factory in Irving to soak up Hillary and Bill Clinton's wisdom and war stories. If fans of, say, the Flaming Lips or KISS might've brought raucous energy to the same venue, Hill and Bill fans arrived to dainty thumps of jazz and took their seats with polite excitement.

LiveNation executive Danny Eaton introduced the two guests of honor as "not only one, but two, of the most important people in the world." Cheerful "HIL-LAR-Y, HIL-LAR-Y" chants erupted.

While audience members clearly seemed to support both Clintons, it was former Democratic...
While audience members clearly seemed to support both Clintons, it was former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton who got the biggest cheers.(Ron Baselice / Staff Photographer)

It was their first time to appear in a ticketed, Q-and-A-style session together since the election, and seats cost about $70 to $400. The appearance took place as the former president's legacy is beginning to be debated in the wake of sexual scandals.

While the 75-minute chat shed light on the Clintons' lives today, such as the fact that they're spending tons of time with their grandkids, and their answers to questions such as "Who is the best leader in history?", Hillary Clinton jovially reinforced to a room of supporters that she believed something went terribly wrong last November.

The What Happened author didn't jab President Donald Trump so much as elbow him, by reminding her Texas audience that she won the national popular vote. And if she could achieve one more goal, moderator Eaton asked?

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"I would probably start by abolishing the electoral college," she said, smiling. Audience members sprang to their feet to clap.

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Bill Clinton told supplementary stories, often about relationships with humanitarians such as Nelson Mandela, though his primary role was to support Hillary. When both were asked "If Jim Comey were here, what would you say to him?" Hillary Clinton diplomatically offered, "I don't understand why he did what he did," referring to the FBI director's sending a letter to Congress regarding her emails just days before the 2016 election. Bill Clinton smiled painfully and told the moderator, "I'm glad you didn't ask me."

Former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton...
Former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton didn't deliver prepared speeches at the ticketed event on Nov. 17, 2017 in Irving; they simply walked out on stage and answered moderator Danny Eaton's questions.(Ron Baselice / Staff Photographer)

He later said, tearfully, "I admire her more and love her more today than I did the day of the election, when I was sure she'd be president."

When asked about the seriousness of the threat of Russia's possible meddling in the election, Hillary Clinton's response was reminiscent of her days as a presidential candidate. "This is the first time, that I know of, in American history, where a foreign adversary has attacked us and suffered no consequences. This is not only what was done in 2016, it's an ongoing threat and it will affect future elections and, really, in many ways, raise doubts and distrust about the integrity of our electoral system. So I view it as both an internal threat to our democracy and a national security threat."

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Then she smiled as she talked about her fans, some in Austin earlier the same day, who declared they'd run for office or go to law school or work on a campaign because they were inspired by the first woman to nearly become the U.S. president. Hillary Clinton brought a few jokes, too:

"As our current president so famously said, 'Who knew health care was so complicated?'

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"I did."

She made no promises for what the future will hold, but she seemed certain of what happened in 2016.

"It was the first reality TV campaign, and he [Trump] was the first reality TV candidate — and I was the candidate of reality. And it was not as entertaining, and I admit that."

Maybe. But just like Hillary's candidacy was no KISS concert, an adoring D-FW audience didn't seem to care.