Hillary Clinton makes her most political speech since the US election defeat and attacked Donald Trump

The representation of women in top government jobs under the Republican is 'the lowest in a generation', says the former presidential candidate

Hillary Clinton denounced the Trump administration’s healthcare policy and treatment of women in one of her first public speeches since she lost the presidential election.

Cracking jokes about her November defeat and her months out of the limelight since, Ms Clinton spoke to thousands of businesswomen in San Francisco, telling the crowd there was no place she'd rather be, "other than the White House."

While she did not mention Donald Trump by name, she criticised his administration and the Republican establishment, including calling its representation of women in top jobs “the lowest in a generation”.

She also rebuked White House press secretary Sean Spicer for chiding a black female journalist for shaking her head during a press briefing a few hours earlier.

Again, without mentioning his name, she said: "Too many women have had a lifetime of practice taking this kind of indignity in stride".

She added that she had been well aware of the nasty rhetoric flung at her during the campaign.

“Some of them were kind of creative”, she said, adding that it did not mean she would let it silence her.

Ms Clinton, who narrowly lost to Mr Trump in November, said she had been appalled at the notorious photo of all male Republican lawmakers watching the President sign away the reproductive rights of women across the world under the “Global gag rule”.

The policy, which has been implemented by previous Republican presidents, blocks US federal funding for non-governmental organisations that provide abortion counselling or referrals, advocate to decriminalise abortion or expand abortion services.

But Ms Clinton hailed the collapse of the Republican bill which they said would “repeal and replace” Obamacare. A vote on the legislation was cancelled at the last minute as it became apparent that it did not have enough support from Republican politicians.

Ms Clinton called it a “victory for all Americans”.

Mr Trump has named four women to his Cabinet, the same number in former President George W Bush's first Cabinet.

Mr Obama named seven women to his first Cabinet – including Ms Clinton as Secretary of State.

The current president has however pointed to the work he plans to have his daughter, Ivanka Trump Kushner, do on childcare and other issues involving working women and men.

Her role in his administration is however, unsalaried.

Ms Clinton and her husband Bill have kept a low profile since November despite the ongoing controversy over Russian interference in the presidential election.

But earlier this month she said she would begin to speak out on these issues once more.

She urged voters to resist Mr Trump’s policies that she said included suspicion of refugees and voter suppression in some areas.

"These are bad policies that will hurt people and take our country in the wrong direction," Ms Clinton said, relaying what she had become one of her mantras since the November election.

"It's the kinds of things you think about when you take long walks in the woods," she said. "Resist, insist, persist, enlist."