(CN) - Addressing her supporters in a Midtown Manhattan hotel a day after Donald Trump was elected America's next president, Hillary Clinton admitted the country is far more divided that she or campaign thought.
Nevertheless, she said, now is the time to come together in the name of national unity.
"We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead," Clinton said of Trump.
Standing before a crowd of staffers, supporters and media, Clinton, one of the most familiar political figures of the past 30 years, choked up as she said the outcome of Tuesday's election is "painful and it will be for a long time."
Joined onstage by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and her daughter Chelsea, Clinton's words, gracious and obviously heart-felt, were greeted with sustained applause.
She described the campaign for the presidency as "one of the greatest honors" of her life, and said the effort was not about her, but "the country we love."
She urged her staff and volunteers to continue to engage in public service and public affairs, and reiterated that American democracy depends on the "peaceful transition of power."
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