Condoleezza Rice: Trump understands 'value of alliances'

Olympia Fields - Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is giving President Donald Trump a vote of confidence on international diplomacy.

Rice tells CNBC that while Trump's language "may be different", she says she believes Trump will stand up for both American interests and values on the world stage.

Rice noted that it's still early in the Trump administration and touched on the difficulty of transitioning from a candidate to a president. She says she believes Trump "understands the values of alliances".

When asked about the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election, Rice praised special counsel Robert Mueller as someone who "will go to where the truth leads him".

Rice was national security adviser under former President George W Bush before becoming his secretary of state.