Exclusive: Inside the Trump transition headquarters in Washington

For a group of staffers, soon-to-be Cabinet-level officials and a president-elect who share a lack of government experience, practice and preparation are crucial. And practice is precisely the focus of activity in a sterile government building just a few blocks from the White House, where the incoming Trump administration is preparing behind closed doors to take the reins of power in a matter of days.

There’s the mock James S. Brady briefing room, where incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer has held two practice briefings with staffers posing as occasionally hostile reporters.