US President-elect Donald Trump has doubled down on his campaign promise of the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, saying the cost of doing so will not be a deterrent.

In some of his first public remarks since winning the election, Trump said his priority upon taking office in January would be to make the border "strong and powerful".

"It's not a question of a price tag. It's not - really, we have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they're going to go back to those countries because they're not staying here. There is no price tag," Trump told NBC News during a phone interview.

He partially credited his message on immigration as a reason he won the race, saying, "They want to have borders, and they like people coming in, but they have to come in with love for the country. They have to come in legally."

Meanwhile, Trump on Thursday announced that Susie Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff, entrusting a top position to a political operative who helped the Republican win election.

The appointment was the first of what is expected to be a flurry of staffing announcements as Trump girds for a return to the White House on January 20.

As gatekeeper to the president, the chief of staff typically wields great influence. The person manages White House staff, organizes the president's time and schedule, and maintains contact with other government departments and lawmakers.

The low-key Wiles, 67, will be the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff.

"Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected," Trump said in a statement. "I have no doubt that she will make our country proud."

Trump has been secluded at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, since defeating Democrat Kamala Harris in Tuesday's election.

He is considering a wide array of people for top jobs in his administration, many of them familiar figures from his 2017-2021 presidency, four sources said.

Meanwhile, Trump's Republicans held on to a narrow edge yesterday as election officials tallied the final votes that will determine control of the US House of Representatives, though Democrats succeeded in flipping a pair of New York state seats.

Republicans have secured at least 211 seats, seven short of the majority in the 435-member chamber, with 24 races left to be called, according to projections by Edison Research. Republicans are set to hold a majority of at least 53 seats in the Senate.

Full congressional control by Republicans would give Trump great leeway to pursue policies including sweeping tax cuts, energy deregulation and border security controls. Should Democrats succeed in capturing a majority, which would require them to win 18 of the 24 as-yet uncalled seats, it would give them a bulwark to push back against him.