WASHINGTON (AP) — For a man who loves the spotlight, Donald Trump has remained conspicuously out of sight since his victory in last week’s presidential election.

There were no rallies, no press conferences, no speeches. Instead, Trump spent most of his first week as president-elect behind closed doors at his private club, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida; Here he works the phones, reconnects with foreign leaders and establishes his new administration.

Trump is hardly a recluse. He is surrounded by advisors, friends, and paid members of his club, who advise him when selecting people for high-level government posts. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man whose companies have billions of dollars in federal contracts, remains a constant presence. Some see Musk as the second most influential figure in Trump’s immediate orbit, after campaign chief-turned-private secretary Susie Wiles.

“A very productive day of work by the transition team,” Musk posted on social media company X on Monday evening.

Trump is expected to return to the public spotlight on Wednesday, when he travels to the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and visits the Capitol to consult with House Speaker Mike Johnson. Overall, Trump is laying the groundwork for his second presidency much faster than his first.

That doesn’t mean the special process lacks the brutal atmosphere that Trump has long fostered in his orbit. A former White House official who is still close to Trump compared the situation at Mar-a-Lago to the drama series Game of Thrones, while another former Trump official described the chaotic pursuit of business. Both discussed the internal dynamics on condition of anonymity.

Eight years ago, when Trump won a shocking victory over Hillary Clinton, he didn’t stay out of sight for long. Two days after the election, he visited President Barack Obama at the White House, then met with Republican leaders on Capitol Hill.

“We will take a very strong step on immigration,” he said at that time. “We’re going to move very strongly in the healthcare space. And we’re looking at jobs. Major league jobs.”

At the time, Trump Tower in New York had been turned into the backdrop of a new political reality show. The media camped out in the lobby of Trump’s namesake skyscraper to see who was coming and going. Sometimes Trump would take the elevator to deliver an update or show off to a guest.

In one notable moment in December, the rapper then known as Kanye West appeared with Trump, who said the two had “been friends for a long time.” When asked what they discussed, Trump replied: “Life. We discussed life.” Trump later came under intense criticism for dining with Ye and a Holocaust-denying white nationalist in 2022.

Eight years ago, Trump also held transition meetings at his Bedminster golf course in New Jersey; Here, the media rallied for days for the candidates in front of the assembled cameras.

Some, like future Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, faced job offers. Others, like Mitt Romney, did not. After the Romney meeting, the two went out together and shook hands next to the American flag. Trump gave a quick thumbs up and said “it went great.”

The current arrangement is very different. There is no public access to Mar-a-Lago, which appears to be under tighter security than it was in the immediate aftermath of two assassination attempts targeting Trump.

The roundabout in front of the property’s entrance is completely barricaded, and Beach County sheriff’s office and Secret Service vehicles have been seen standing guard in recent days, as well as unmarked police cars, black vans and a golf cart.

Instead, Trump announced his picks in statements and posts on the site Truth Social, while his comings and goings were recorded on social media by club members and guests, who, as always, had nearly unlimited access.

In one video, she is seen dancing to “YMCA” on the club’s packed patio. In another, he and his wife, Melania, are greeted cheerfully when they arrive for dinner. They were also seen sitting at a table with Musk.

Trump is known to have left Mar-a-Lago only once since the election, to visit one of his properties. On Sunday, he returned to the nearby golf course to play with his teenage grandson, Kai — the same course where an eagle-eyed Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a gun pointed at the property’s fence and thwarted a possible shooting.

“Sundays with my grandfather,” he shared on Instagram. Other photos from that day show Trump on a golf cart, wearing a white golf shirt, and later sitting in a burgundy leather chair next to Kai at the club’s restaurant as someone leans in for a chat.

Musk was also seen at the course where he was introduced to members. Kai said Trump had “achieved uncle status” by posting a photo of himself posing with Musk and his young son.

In fact, Musk sometimes seemed like a member of the family. On election night, she was seen giving her son a piggyback ride around the Mar-a-Lago ballroom and attended the president-elect’s family photo with his children and grandchildren.

Since then, he has sought to put his stamp on every issue facing the new administration, according to people familiar with his efforts who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the dynamics. His attempts at influence extend to issues beyond his expertise, such as border security.

Trump has said he plans to give Musk a formal role overseeing a group that will recommend ways to make the federal government more efficient. Musk suggested he could find savings of more than $2 trillion, equivalent to almost a third of total annual spending.

Trump also included Musk in his post-election meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hopes the United States will continue the flow of military aid to fend off Russia’s invasion. Both Trump and Musk have expressed skepticism about supporting Ukraine, and Trump often speaks admiringly of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He promised to end the war before Inauguration Day.

Positions in the next Trump administration are now being offered much more quickly than the first time around. Trump announced his senior leadership team, including his chief of staff, the Sunday after the election in 2016. However, he waited 10 days for his first cabinet appointment.

This time, Trump quickly appointed Wiles as his chief of staff. He also selected anti-immigrant ardent Stephen Miller as his policy adviser and Tom Homan as his “border czar.” Trump appointed New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to be ambassador to the United Nations and former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to run the Environmental Protection Agency.

Competition for jobs has been intense this year. While Trump’s election in 2016 was a surprise, this time allies spent four years putting together staff lists and policy proposals. Candidates are represented by PR agencies and lobbyists. A potential Cabinet pick has hired consultants to try to boost his image.

Although Trump has said he already has people in mind for various roles, Howard Lutnick, co-chairman of Trump’s transition team for personnel, previously told The Associated Press that he did not discuss any proposals with Trump before his win because the President-elect is notoriously superstitious.

“What I do is I go and find the best candidates for this role. So for each role, there will be, say, eight great candidates; “It’s fully vetted, it’s fully qualified to be approved by the Senate, okay?” he said. “Then he will start meeting and start thinking. It’s up to him, right? He is selective.”

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