Since his victory in the 8 November presidential election, Donald Trump and his campaign have carried their unorthodox style into the transition process, with disregard for the press and seemingly unfiltered use of Twitter by the president-elect, as well as close involvement from the family members who will also run Trump’s business empire. The incoming president has also added to existing fears among minorities about their place in his America, with appointments and early cabinet nominations that echo the nationalist themes of his campaign.

Here are five ways in which Trump has defied the norms and conventions of US presidential transitions:

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Twitter fire

Trump has regained access to the Twitter account he routinely used to attack critics and spread conspiracy theories during the course of his campaign. As a candidate, Trump’s use of social media was so volatile that aides reportedly wrestled control of his Twitter account in the final stretch leading up to the election. As president-elect, Trump has returned to attacking those who dare challenge him, such as the New York Times, for its fact-based reporting on his transition team. He is also back to disseminating false information to bolster his image. On Thursday, Trump boasted on Twitter that the chairman of Ford Motor Company had informed him the automaker was suspending plans to move a Kentucky-based plant to Mexico. But Ford had never planned to move the facility in question facility to Mexico.

Ditching the press

Tradition holds that presidents-elect set up a pool of reporters to trail them when they step out in public. But Trump snuck out to a New York City steakhouse with his family this week, leaving the press pool behind. The break in protocol is anything but trivial for a soon-to-be president: the purpose of the pool is to ensure the press has access in the event of unexpected news. As Yahoo News White House correspondent Olivier Knox recalled in response to Trump’s actions this week, reports surfaced in 2007 that Dick Cheney’s plane had suffered a malfunction. Global panic ensued and was resolved by the protective pool traveling with the then vice-president, who clarified Cheney was indeed safe and the issue was not as serious as initially reported. On Thursday the Trump campaign, refused to allow reporters and photographers access to a meeting with the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe. It was only when the Japanese government issued a photo that the US press and public learned Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner had been present. It is unclear what a pool will look like under Trump, who, as a candidate, broke with precedent by refusing to allow his traveling press aboard his plane while campaigning across the country and at times started speeches without them.

Non-secure calls to foreign leaders

Trump and Mike Pence, the vice-president-elect, declared they had spoken with 31 foreign heads of state since the election. But they appear to have done so without briefing materials from the state department and potentially on non-secure phone lines. Trump’s campaign said “appropriate security measures” were being taken to set up the calls, and that he was being briefed by members of his own team (although declined to name them). Trump’s method of contact with foreign leaders has also been atypical of outreach from past presidents-elect. He spoke with the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, before reaching out to closer US allies, such as the heads of state in Britain and Germany. Trump also vowed in a phone call with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to strengthen ties, causing alarm among members of his own party who have long cast Russia as one of America’s biggest foes. And he reportedly told Britain’s Theresa May: “If you travel to the US you should let me know.” Overseas visits by the British prime minister to the US cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and can take months to arrange.

Family affair

The proximity of Trump’s children to his pending administration has raised questions about possible conflicts of interest. Trump appointed three of his children Ivanka, Donald Jr and Eric Trump, to the executive committee of his transition team, allowing them to wield influence over who will serve in his cabinet and run key government agencies. The Trump children are also expected to take control of the family business through a “blind trust”, prompting concerns among ethics watchdogs over their dual roles. Trump is also reportedly weighing his son-in-law, Kushner, who is married to Ivanka, as a top White House adviser. While a federal anti-nepotism law bars presidents from appointing family members in administration posts, it’s unclear if the same rule would apply if the individual is named as White House staff.

Transition chaos

The broader view of Trump’s transition process has been characterized by a certain level of disarray, in part because his own team did not expect him to win the election. There was a lapse in communication with the White House, where Barack Obama’s administration awaited paperwork and a list of contacts from Trump’s team to slip the transition between government agencies into gear. Since then, a Trump spokesperson has confirmed that the National Security Council, justice department, state department and department of defense are now connected with so-called “landing teams” from his transition committee. But there are also internal disputes, which led to the ousting of Chris Christie as the head of Trump’s transition team. Kushner was reportedly key in sidelining the New Jersey governor as an act of retribution for when then-US attorney Christie jailed Kushner’s father in 2004.