John Key gets a voice message from President-elect Donald Trump to let him know he missed a call
The most powerful people in the United States - or those who intend to be - have been flooding into Trump Tower since election day, and today marked one of the most glittering gatherings so far.
As the President-elect stays holed up in his New York residence, away from the masses of protesters outside, a crack team of his closest confidants are streaming into the building.
Armed guards stand outside the revolving doors, by the gold letters, and visitors pass through metal detectors and are frisked by security in marble lobby before heading up the escalators to Donald Trump's offices, or into the lifts branded with his likeness to reach his magnificent penthouse suite.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence, fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and Trump's ex-wife and mother to his daughter Tiffany poured into the New York skyscraper today as the unanointed took photos from behind a velvet rope.
Also in attendance was his rival Republican presidential nominee Ted Cruz, who is tipped for a plum role in his cabinet as Supreme Court justice, along with the President-elect's key confidants and influential children, who make up part of his transition team.
He later made a brief outing to Mahattan restaurant 21 Club, where he received a standing ovation.
Trump has barely left the Fifth Avenue skyscraper since his victory, meeting there with his campaign advisers and first two appointments, chief of staff Reince Priebus and the controversial white nationalist he has named his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon.
He has also hosted former NY mayor Rudy Giuliani, a surprise contender to be his secretary of state, as well as his glamorous press secretary Hope Hicks.
The President-elect has his nose to the grindstone for the week since his election, talking to foreign leaders over the phone and working out the make-up of the rest of his team, who will be vital to the success and direction of his presidency, as Barack Obama has observed.
"President-elect Trump is there receiving calls from different people. He has different meetings, interviews," his adviser Kellyanne Conway said this week.
"We've really just been ensconced in Trump Tower trying to form a government."
Kellyanne Conway, campaign manager for President-elect Donald Trump, talks with reporters as she arrives at Trump Tower. Photo / AP
Trump is also hammering out what he'll achieve in those crucial first 100 days, and refining the details of his notorious "First Day Project". Throughout the campaign, he referred to how he will spend his first 24 hours signing orders to undo everything Obama has put in place, and create his own legacy.
He will no doubt be working out how many of his first day promises he can make happen, having sketched out an ambitious plan to meet with generals to devise a plan to defeat the Islamic State, call manufacturing giants to warn them to bring jobs back to the US and remove all gun-free zones at schools.
His isolation in the grand residence will be excellent preparation for his carefully guarded life at the White House.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence carries a briefing binder as he arrives at Trump Tower. Photo / AP
"The reason my hair looks so neat all the time is because I don't have to deal with the elements very often," Trump wrote in his 2004 book How To Get Rich. "I live in the building where I work. I take an elevator from my bedroom to my office. The rest of the time, I'm either in my stretch limousine, my private jet, my helicopter, or my private club in Palm Beach, Florida."
Hope Hicks, press secretary for President-elect Donald Trump's campaign. Photo / AP
He is, however, expected to continue spending time at his exclusive Mar-a-Lago resort where he got married, with the Clintons among the many celebrity guests. The 70-year-old is unlikely to have much trouble submitting to Secret Service bodyguard he will need as President, since he rarely leaves the hotel and golf courses and restaurants these days.
"Why should I go anywhere else?" he once said. "I have the best food in Palm Beach."
Whether his three eldest children will continue to run the Trump Organisation or join him in Washington remains in question.
President-elect Donald Trump and incoming Vice President Mike Pence have been meeting in Trump Tower to decide the next administration. Photo / AP
Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric Trump have all been seen at the glitzy headquarters, and form part of his transition team, although they have emphasised they will not have official roles.
Ivanka on Monday told 60 Minutes she would simply "be the daughter" but said she would use the opportunity to campaign on issues that mattered to her, including equal pay and paid parental leave.
A large, black and white photo of the attractive 35-year-old looks out over the lobby. She was criticised today after her website promoting products for #WomenWhoWork was seen selling the bracelet she wore for the family's first TV interview.
