From his sun-drenched Mar-a-Lago compound (located thousand miles south of DC) Donald Trump works on his own terms to get ready for power. His team-members dont follow the usual hand-over steps that other winners used before
The president-elects approach shows clear break from past transitions: he keeps distance from govt offices that normally help new leaders take charge. His close-aide describes this as a “take-over mission“ of the whole federal system - which means big changes are coming
His non-standard plans include cutting lots of govt jobs and making huge budget-cuts across many departments. While past presidents-elect worked hand-in-hand with federal staff Trump chose to keep his distance; setting up his base far from the nations capital where 2.2 million federal workers keep things running
The traditional transition play-book seems thrown out: instead of using well-tested methods Trump picked his own path - working from his luxury-resort to design changes that might re-shape how government works