Former US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has encouraged members of her political party to “keep fighting” following her defeat to Republican President Donald Trump in the November election.

Appearing in a video message at a Democratic National Committee (DNC) meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, Clinton also urged her fellow Democrats to “move forward with courage, confidence and optimism” after the party failed to gain majorities in either chamber of Congress.

The DNC will choose new party leaders, including a new chairperson, on Saturday. “We as Democrats must move forward with courage, confidence, and optimism and stay focused on the elections we must win this year and next. Let resistance plus persistence equal progress for our party and our country,” Clinton said.

“While we didn’t get the outcome we worked so hard for, I’ll always be proud of the campaign we ran, a campaign that was better and stronger thanks to each of you,” she added. The former US secretary of state, first lady and senator has kept a relatively low profile since losing the presidential election to Trump, although she has commented publicly on several occasions during the Trump presidency.

“As long as we stand together and work together with respect for our differences, strength in our convictions and love for our country, our best days are still ahead. So keep fighting, and keep the faith. And I’ll be with you every step of the way,” she said at the DNC meeting.

Trump’s presidential election campaign had been hit with many controversies since its inception in early 2015. But he still managed to stun the world by defeating the heavily-favored Clinton. However, numerous polls taken before the presidential election showed that Clinton and Trump were deeply unpopular politicians, while Clinton’s Democratic rival in the primary elections, Bernie Sanders, enjoyed relatively high popularity.

Presstv