U.S. former secretary of state Hillary Clinton speaks at a reception celebrating the completion of the U.S. Diplomacy Center Pavilion in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2017.

Hillary Clinton, making a rare public appearance after her presidential election loss, offered an impassioned tribute to the power of diplomacy on Tuesday evening, saying the United States will "weather every storm on the horizon" by staying true to its "universal values."

While she never mentioned Donald Trump by name, Clinton's short address at the opening of a new State Department museum was a rebuke of the president-elect, who's already broken decades of diplomatic protocol through his interactions with foreign leaders during his transition.



"Diplomacy is one of the greatest forces for peace, prosperity and progress the world has ever known," Clinton told dignitaries and donors gathered at the new U.S. Diplomacy Center pavilion. "And today the lessons of this museum are more vital and urgent than ever. Democratic freedom and the rule of law are under attack across the world."



The museum and education center are aimed at promoting American diplomacy, with a 14-foot section of the Berlin Wall as the star attraction. One of the halls will be named after Clinton, another after former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The bulk of the money raised to support the project came during Clinton's time at the agency.