Donald Trump is pledging restraint on Twitter as president.

But you can already tell he’ll be mightily tempted to let loose with those trademark tweets.

He tells 60 Minutes he’s going to be “very restrained, if I use it at all”.

But he went on to call Twitter “tremendous” and said social media is “where it’s at”.

As he put it: “I have a method of fighting back”.

The president-elect says social media helped him win races in states where he was vastly outspent, and he thinks he’s proved that the medium can be more powerful than money.

Some of Mr Trump’s most provocative comments in the primary and general election campaigns came from his tweets, often late at night.

Mr Trump, who through his election campaign vowed to throw Hillary Clinton into prison, also used his first TV interview since the election to say she’s “very strong and very smart”.

In the interview with CBS News, Mr Trump recalled receiving a call from Ms Clinton to concede election defeat.

He said Ms Clinton, who he previously referred to as ‘crooked Hillary’, was gracious.

“So, Hillary called, and it was a lovely call, and it was a tough call for her, I mean, I can imagine, tougher for her than it would have been for me,” Trump says in the interview.

“I mean, for me, it would have been very, very difficult,” he continued.

“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’.

“She is very strong and very smart. ”

Former president Bill Clinton also called Mr Trump to offer his congratulations.

“He couldn’t have been more gracious,” Mr Trump said.

“He said it was an amazing run. One of the most amazing he’s ever seen. He was very, very, really, very nice.”

Mr Trump used the interview to address fears about the US health system.

Although Mr Trump had previously sworn to completely get rid of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, he told Ms Stahl he actually planned to keep some elements of it.

Also known as Obamacare, the Act was implemented by President Obama in 2010 as an overhaul of the US health system, designed to lower costs and increase accessibility for all Americans.

Barack Obama (right) advised Donald Trump to rethink his approach to Obamacare. Photo: Getty

Mr Trump said he would continue the policy of insuring people with pre-existing conditions.

“It happens to be one of the strongest assets,” Mr Trump said.

He was also supportive of maintaining a measure that allows parents to keep their children on their insurance policies until the age of 26.

“It adds cost, but it’s very much something we’re gonna try and keep.”

Asked if there would be a gap between the end of the plan and the implementation of new policies, Mr Trump insisted he had it under control.

“We’re going to do it simultaneously, it will be just fine,” he said.

“That’s what I do, I do a good job. You know, I know how to do this stuff. We’re going to repeal it and replace it. We’re not going to have a two day period and we’re not going to have a two-year period where there’s nothing.

“It will be great healthcare for much less money.”

Trump told The Wall Street Journal President Obama suggested ways to keep certain areas of the healthcare law intact during the pair’s meeting on Thursday morning.

“I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that,” Mr Trump told the Journal.

Watch a preview of the 60 Minutes interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG2cKmZKzYI