Trump also had vowed during the campaign to immediately deport all 11 million people in the country illegally. But in the interview, he said he’s instead focusing first on ousting or incarcerating 2 million to 3 million “that are criminals and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers.” Trump nevertheless emphasised that securing the border is his very first immigration priority.

On CNN’s State of the Union, Paul Ryan rejected the kind of “mass deportations” Trump had championed during the campaign.

“We are not planning on erecting a deportation force,” he said.

Trump, whose family joined him for parts of the 60 Minutes interview that was conducted in his Trump Tower penthouse, told Stahl of Hillary Clinton’s phone call to him, conceding the election. He said it was “lovely” and acknowledged that making the phone call was likely “tougher for her than it would have been for me,” according to previews of the interview released by CBS.

“She couldn’t have been nicer. She just said, ‘Congratulations, Donald, well done,’” Trump told Stahl. “And I said, ‘I want to thank you very much. You were a great competitor.’ She is very strong and very smart.”

Trump’s tone in the interview was in sharp contrast to his bitter attacks on the campaign trail, in which he nicknamed Clinton “Crooked Hillary” and encouraged chants of “Lock her up!” at his rallies. Among other insults, Trump also referred to his competitor as “the devil,” “a bigot” and - at the tail end of the final presidential debate - “such a nasty woman.”

Also on Sunday, Republicans backed off decades of investigating Clinton. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Fox News Sunday that GOP-led congressional Republicans will focus on policy and leave any probes of Clinton to law enforcement.

Trump told Stahl that former president Bill Clinton also called him the following day and “couldn’t have been more gracious.”

Trump told Stahl he credits social media with a key role in his upset victory and may continue to use it after he takes office, though he plans to be more circumspect.

“I’m going to be very restrained, if I use it at all, I’m going to be very restrained,” Trump said. “I find it tremendous. It’s a modern form of communication. There should be nothing we should be ashamed of.”

The president-elect clearly keeps close tabs on his social media following.

“I’m picking up now, I think I picked up yesterday 100,000 people,” said Trump, who has 14.8 million followers of his Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump.

After his interview, the combative billionaire took to Twitter to settle some scores.

During a four-hour spree, Trump savaged the New York Times and gloated about the GOP stalwarts lining up to congratulate him, bragging that staunch critics and GOP rivals John Kasich, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush had sent attaboys. Former presidents George W. and George H.W. Bush also had sent their “best wishes on the win. Very nice!” The New York Times, Trump wrote to his 14 million followers, is “dishonest” and “highly inaccurate.”

Trump also reiterated on “60 Minutes” that he may keep portions of the Affordable Care Act, something he had mentioned he might do after meeting with President Barack Obama in the White House on Thursday.

When Stahl asked whether people with pre-existing conditions would still be covered after Trump repealed and replaced Obamacare, Trump said they would “because it happens to be one of the strongest assets.”

Paul Ryan, meanwhile, tried to calm the nation by suggesting that “people should just really put their minds at ease, we are pluralistic, we’re inclusive.” Acts of hate, he said, had nothing to do with the GOP.

“People who espouse those views, they’re not Republicans and we don’t want them in our party even if they’re thinking about it. And I’m confident Donald Trump feels the same way,” the Wisconsin Republican said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

But at least on Sunday, Trump seemed to prefer to relish his election win.

At one point, he noted that Governor Kasich, who refused to endorse him, “of the GREAT, GREAT, GREAT STATE OF Ohio called to congratulate me on the win.” Trump pointedly did not return the congratulations or offer thanks to Kasich. “The people of Ohio were incredible!” he tweeted.

He later attributed his win to his performance in the presidential debates against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

“The debates, especially the second and third, plus speeches and intensity of the large rallies, plus OUR GREAT SUPPORTERS, gave us the win!”

Additional reporting by The Washington Post and Bloomberg