Clinton asks supporters not to give up despite deep divisions

Clinton said this as she made her first public appearance after her shock defeat in the US presidential elections at the hands of Donald Trump

Washington, Nov 17: An emotional Hillary Clinton today asked her supporters not to lose heart and continue working for a better country despite deep "divisions" as she made her first public appearance after her shock defeat in the US presidential elections at the hands of Donald Trump.

"I will admit coming here...wasn't the easiest thing for me," Clinton, 69, told the audience in Washington DC.

"There have been a few times this past week when all I’ve wanted to do was just to curl up with a good book or our dogs and never leave the house ever again." The former secretary of state asked her supporters "not to give up" and "stay engaged" in politics.

"The divisions laid bare by this election run deep, but please listen to me when I say this: America is worth it," she said. "I know many of you are deeply disappointed about the results of the election. I am too, more than I can ever express," she said.

"Believe in our country, fight for our values, and never, ever give up," she said. Clinton said she wants to go back in time and tell her mother Dorothy of her accomplishments. "She found a way to offer me the boundless love and support she never received herself," she said.

"I dream of going up to her and sitting next to her and taking her in my arms and saying, 'Look, look at me and listen. You will survive.

You will have a family of your own: three children. And as hard as it might be to imagine, your daughter will grow up to be a United States Senator, represent our country as Secretary of State and win more than 62 million votes for president of the United States," she said.

Clinton stressed on the importance of service. "Service is the rent we pay for living. You don't get to stop paying rent just because things didn't go your way," she said.

PTI