'She couldn't have been nicer'

Showing a softer part, Trump showered his Hillary Clinton with praise describing the election night call he received from her conceding that he had won.

"It was a lovely call, and it was a tough call for her -- I mean, I can imagine," he said in the interview to CBS, excerpts of which were aired Friday.

"I mean, for me, it would have been very, very difficult. She couldn't have been nicer. She just said, 'Congratulations, Donald, well done'."

And I said, "I want to thank you very much, you were a great competitor," he said, praising his vanquished political foe as "very strong and very smart."

He also described a call he received from her husband, former president Bill Clinton, who he said "couldn't have been more gracious."

Trump said he wouldn't rule out approaching the former US leader for advice.

The comments echo Trump's remarks after a meeting with President Barack Obama on Thursday, when he said he looked "forward to dealing with the president in the future," including receiving Obama's counsel.

When asked whether he would seek the advice of Bill Clinton, Trump said "I would certainly think about that.

"He's a very talented guy, I mean, this is a very talented family," Trump said.