Unexpected Guests: The President-elect breaks bread with rising Democratic star Tulsi Gabbard and broadcast media bigwigs - along with Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich 

• e-mail

President-elect Trump continued to hold meetings today at Trump Tower – including one with a rising Democratic star, several with familiar Republican faces and he even broke bread in an off-the-record meet-and-greet with prominent broadcast reporters. 

Trump, back in New York after two days of meetings at his Bedminster resort, nicknamed the 'New Jersey Camp David,' kicked off his morning with a meeting with Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a veteran from Hawaii who resigned from her Democratic National Committee post in February to support the candidacy of Bernie Sanders.

More unlikely faces poured into the lobby of Trump Tower later in the day.  Names like Wolf Blitzer, Chuck Todd and George Stephanopoulos were there, despite Trump's self-professed detest of the media.

Scroll down for video  

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (left), accompanied by wife Callista (right), arrived at Trump Tower Monday afternoon for a meeting with the president-elect 

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who also ran for president and endorsed Donald Trump in May, arrived at Trump Tower Monday morning for a meeting with the president-elect 

Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown was caught arriving for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower Monday morning 

NBC News' Lester Holt (right), who moderated the first presidential debate, was spotted getting out of the elevator at Trump Tower alongside CNN's Wolf Blitzer (center) 

EXTRA, EXTRA: Television personalities including ABC's George Stephanopoulos (left) and CBS' Gayle King (right) paid a visit to Trump Tower today for an off-the-record meet-and-greet 

Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway arrived this morning at Trump Tower so that the president-elect could continue meeting with potential hires 

So was NBC's Lester Holt, who moderated the first presidential debate between Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. 

Plenty of Republicans came through the lobby as well. 

First came former Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who hoped to impress the newly-elected president so much that he would be given the job of Veterans Affairs secretary. 

'We obviously spoke about my passion and his passion, which are veterans and veterans issues. And, you know, obviously, I think the toughest job in the cabinet is to leave the VA because, while it has so many angels working there, it has so many great problems as well,' Brown said. 

Like Sen. Jeff Sessions, who Trump made his attorney general pick, Brown was one of the first Republican lawmakers to endorse Trump's candidacy.  

Former Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican from Massachusetts, stopped to talk to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower on Monday 

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin was spotted arriving at Trump Tower for her meeting today with President-elect Donald Trump. She's reportedly up for the department of the interior post

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin arrived at Trump Tower Monday morning. Kellyanne Conway suggested she could be given the interior secretary job 

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of Donald Trump's staunchest Republican allies, has said he won't be taking a cabinet position in the new administration 

Trump met with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and former House Speaker New Gingrich too. Gingrich showed up late in the day accompanied by his wife, Callista. Former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao was also on tap. 

Chao's husband is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The president-elect will spend time with Brandon Judd, head of the Border Patrol Agents union, and Chris Crane, the National ICE Council President, whose groups endorsed the Republican in the primary. 

Gingrich, a staunch Trump ally during the campaign, has already said publicly that he won't be joining the administration in an official capacity. 

'I want to be free to network across the whole system and look at what we have to do to succeed,' Gingrich told the Washington Post, adding that a cabinet position is 'not physically doable.' 

Kellyanne Conway previewed some of Donald Trump's meetings during an appearance on 'Fox & Friends' this morning 

Future first daughter Ivanka Trump was spotted arriving this morning at Trump Tower for her father's next set of meetings with potential cabinet picks

Ivanka Trump was on hand this morning at Trump Tower as her father was set to meet with a rising Democratic star, along with several Republicans insiders 

Ivanka Trump was spotted out in New York City today as she headed to Trump Tower as part of her father's transition team 

Ivanka Trump looked cool in blue as she sauntered down the New York City sidewalk en route to Trump Tower where Donald Trump is holding more meetings today 

Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who's simply labeling herself as a Trump adviser post-election, previewed some of the meetings on her tour of the morning shows today. 

She and Ivanka Trump were spotted entering Trump Tower early in the morning.

On 'Fox & Friends' Conway reminded the hosts that Perry was a 'former rival for the presidency' and confirmed that he was meeting with Trump to possibly be tapped to be the secretary of energy or the secretary of defense. 

Fallin, an active governor, was being looked at for secretary of the interior, Conway confirmed.   

But Conway also reminded people that a meeting with the president-elect doesn't necessarily translate into a job offer. 

'Again it doesn't all lead to a position,' Conway said on Fox. 

'She's a sitting governor,' the campaign manager said of Fallin.  

UP AT BAT: Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (left), Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (center) and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (right) are all meeting with Donald Trump today 

Former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao (left) - the spouse of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - will be meeting with Trump, along with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (right) 

Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (right) - photographed alongside Donald Trump (left) in February - took a meeting with the president-elect this morning at Trump Tower

'So he will be working with her and probably three dozen Republican governors,' Conway continued. 

'This country not only elected a Republican president and vice president, but gave them a Republican House and Senate, a majority of governorships and a huge majority of the state legislatures,' Conway noted. 'Sixty-nine of the 99 state legislative chambers are Republican. That's not accidental, or coincidental, that's called a mandate,' Conway said. 

Upon leaving her Trump Tower meeting, Fallin said she hadn't been offered a job, classifying the get together as an 'initial meeting to discuss a wide range of topics.' 

On 'Fox & Friends' Conway didn't mention the meeting with Gabbard, who wasn't photographed coming or leaving Trump Tower today, though the Democrat is reportedly being considered for the role of UN ambassador. 

Conway explained to reporters later Monday why Gabbard's meeting with Trump made sense, saying they share 'a lot of common ground.' 

'I think they both understand the country very well,' Conway added. 

This weekend team Trump conducted meetings at Donald Trump's (left) Bedminster, New Jersey resort though took time Sunday to attend services at Lamington Presbyterian Church

'Rep. Gabbard went against her party quite boldly early on. I think you are hearing people like Tim Ryan also raising concerns,' Trump's campaign manager said. 

Ryan is challenging House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in next week's House leadership race. 

'Bernie Sanders today was also quoted as saying they should stop identity politics in the Democratic Party. Whoa,' Conway expressed. 'He can tell and we'll tell him how to do that and win.' 

'So I think there's a recognition that there's a big country, a massive amount of voters feel disaffected from their party, the Democrats.'   

On a call with reporters this morning, transition spokesman Jason Miller said no big announcements were expected to come today.

At a later press gaggle, Conway said that no new cabinet announcements would be coming until next week. 

Neither Conway nor Miller mentioned the meeting with broadcast reporters before it happened. 

CNN's Wolf Blitzer had to walk in front of the press as they arrived for an off-the-record meeting with the incoming administration 

CBS' John Dickerson (left) and Charlie Rose (right) arrive for an off-the-record meeting with Donald Trump and Kellyanne Conway 

 Network representatives from Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS met with Conway and Trump. 

NBC sent Deborah Turness, Lester Holt and Chuck Todd, CNN's Jeff Zucker, Wolf Blitzer and Erin Burnett were part of the pack and Fox's Bill Shine, Jack Abernathy, Jay Wallace and Suzanne Scott attended.

From CBS, John Dickerson, Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell were there.

ABC News sent president James Goldston and talent George Stephanopoulos, David Muir and Martha Raddatz.

Off-the-record meet-ups with the media are not unusual for an incoming administration, but usually reporters and executives heading to the meeting don't have to worry about the pack of journalists to report their moves and the C-SPAN cameras scanning the elevator banks.    

Talking to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower after the meet-and-greet, Conway said its purpose wasn't to 'mend fences.' 

Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN, arrived at Trump Tower Monday afternoon with other leading journalista and network executives 

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer (center) and NBC's Lester Holt (right) are captured by photographers as they exit Trump Tower Monday afternoon 

CNN's Erin Burnett (center) was among the journalists invited to an off-the-record chat with President-elect Donald Trump and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway

'It was very cordial, very productive, very congenial,' she said. 'It was also very candid and very honest.'  

'From my own perspective, it's great to hit the reset button,' she continued. 'It was a long hard-fought campaign. Donald Trump proved that he animated America. He understood America and now he will be president of all Americans.'    

Conway also said the New York Times would be meeting with the president-elect tomorrow.  

The campaign manager also promised the media that Trump would hold a press conference soon. 

'The man works 18 hours a day interviewing people taking calls from all around the world,' she said. 'He will take have a press conference in due course. And he will make his announcements for his cabinet.' 

Miller told reporters that Trump will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday at Mar-a-Lago, his Floridian resort, and will likely leave town tomorrow.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence will travel to Mississippi for the holiday, where his son is stationed.