The Secret Service said Thursday a man interfered with a motorcade carrying Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as his vehicle arrived at a secure checkpoint near the White House. The man was later arrested after he became combative during an interview with a police officer. 
 
 Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney arrives at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, for his luncheon with President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (Associated Press) 
 
 Secret Service spokesman Max Milien said the man, who was not identified, was standing near a security entrance to the White House and got in the motorcade's way. The vehicle stopped briefly at the security gate and then entered the White House complex. 
 
 Milien says the man was later interviewed by a uniform division officer and became combative. He was charged with assault on a police officer and unlawful entry. 
 
 Romney came to the White House for lunch with Obama, their first meeting since the election. 
 
 A CNN video of the incident shows a man briefly heckling Romney near the passenger side of the SUV before the vehicle proceeded through the gates and onto the grounds of the White House. ||||| Though boxing gloves could be seen in a photo released of President Obama's lunch with Mitt Romney, aides joked there were no punches thrown, describing the encounter as "friendly." 
 
 Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET: The winner of the presidential election met with the man he defeated Thursday as President Barack Obama had lunch at the White House with former Republican nominee Mitt Romney. 
 
 Romney arrived at the White House shortly after noon. 
 
 The lunch was closed to reporters but the White House issued a statement after the lunch saying that Romney "congratulated the President for the success of his campaign and wished him well over the coming four years. The focus of their discussion was on America's leadership in the world and the importance of maintaining that leadership position in the future. They pledged to stay in touch, particularly if opportunities to work together on shared interests arise in the future. Their lunch menu included white turkey chili and Southwestern grilled chicken salad." 
 
 Romney left just before 2:00 p.m. without comment. 
 
 Romney also went Thursday morning to a Washington hotel to meet for 90 minutes with his running mate, House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the first face-to-face meeting the two men have had since their defeat on Nov. 6. 
 
 After the meeting, Ryan released a statement saying, "I remain grateful to Governor Romney for the honor of joining his ticket this fall, and I cherish our friendship. I'm proud of the principles and ideas we advanced during the campaign and the commitment we share to expanding opportunity and promoting economic security for American families." 
 
 Four years ago, after Obama defeated Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., he hosted a dinner for McCain on the night before he took the oath of office as president. 
 
 At that dinner, Obama said that with the campaign and the balloting over, he and McCain shared a responsibility "to usher in a new season of cooperation built on those things we hold in common." 
 
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 He praised McCain for “a pure and deeply felt love of his country that comes from the painful knowledge of what life is like without it," he said, an allusion to McCain’s five years in a North Vietnamese prison after his Navy plane was shot down during the Vietnam War. 
 
 In 2004, after President George W. Bush defeated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the two rivals did not have a post-election face-to-face meeting, although Kerry, along with other senators, was on the platform at the Capitol at Bush’s inauguration for his second term. 
 
 But Kerry made clear in his post-election words and actions that he was still resolutely opposed to Bush on policy matters, highlighting his vote against Bush's choice of Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state and calling for the resignation of then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, for example. 
 
 In 2000, in the aftermath of the five-week recount and Supreme Court battle that prolonged the presidential election, Bush met for 15 minutes with the man he defeated, Vice President Al Gore at Gore’s official residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington. 
 
 When Gore greeted Bush outside the residence, reporters asked if the two men had any message for Americans. Gore replied, "I gave that Wednesday night," referring to his concession speech. 
 
 In his inaugural address Bush made a point of saying, “I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with grace.” 
 
 In 1996, after President Clinton beat him, former Sen. Bob Dole went to the White House a few days before Christmas to chat with Clinton and exchange Christmas gifts. ||||| President Barack Obama spent more than an hour with Mitt Romney at the White House on Thursday, as the one-time rivals shared lunch and discussed their ideas for keeping the United States competitive in a changing world. 
 
 The discussion focused on “America’s leadership in the world and the importance of maintaining that leadership position in the future,” the White House said. Romney also congratulated Obama for winning re-election. 
 
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 reset Carney: Lunch not press event 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: W.H.: Obama and Romney talked about leadership) 
 
 There was no mention of any formal collaboration, but they “pledged to stay in touch, particularly if opportunities to work together on shared interests arise in the future,” the White House said. There was no talk of Romney joining the Obama administration, a source familiar with the lunch said. 
 
 The menu for the lunch included white turkey chili and Southwestern grilled chicken salad. Afterwards, Obama and Romney spent a few minutes in the Oval Office. The White House released a photo of the men shaking hands near Obama’s desk taken by official photographer Pete Souza. 
 
 The meeting was far different than the last time they met a month ago for their final presidential debate, before the tense final days of the campaign and the Romney concession call. They discussed maintaining the country’s leading role going forward in domestic and foreign policy, the source said. Part of that discussion was about how to strengthen the innovation economy. 
 
 Obama and Romney pledged to stay in touch, particularly if issues arise where they can work on shared interests, the source added. 
 
 Romney was smiling as he headed into the White House just before 12:30, after climbing out of the front seat of a black SUV. He smiled as he entered the West Wing, wearing a gray suit and blue striped tie. No staffers or friends followed him into the building. 
 
 Unlike past meetings between presidents and the candidates they defeated, this one was closed to press — without even a brief foray into the room for news photographers. Instead, access was limited to what the White House chose to release after the meeting. 
 
 “Each man wanted to have a private conversation. They didn’t want to turn it into a press event,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said during his Thursday briefing, which took place as Obama and Romney were meeting. 
 
 Obama first indicated a willingness to meet with Romney on election night, following the example of the meeting he and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had soon after the 2008 election. Obama elaborated at his post-election press conference, saying that Romney “ presented some ideas during the course of the campaign that I actually agree with” and that it would be “interesting to talk to him about something like that.” 
 
 Obama campaign manager Jim Messina contacted Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades a week after the election to set up the meeting. Obama’s team suggested Nov. 29 and Romney agreed. Just like any other visitor to the White House, Romney had to provide his Social Security number, birth date and other personal information to gain access to the grounds. 
 
 (Also on POLITICO: W.H.: Obama, Romney didn't want lunch to be a 'press event') 
 
 Earlier Thursday, Romney had breakfast with his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) at a hotel near the White House. Afterwards, Ryan released a statement thanking Romney for putting him on the ticket. 
 
 “I remain grateful to Governor Romney for the honor of joining his ticket this fall, and I cherish our friendship,” Ryan said. “I’m proud of the principles and ideas we advanced during the campaign and the commitment we share to expanding opportunity and promoting economic security for American families.” 
 
 Jonathan Martin and Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting
– The most interesting thing that happened in regard to Mitt Romney's lunch with President Obama today took place before it even began. Secret Service arrested a man who apparently tried to stop Romney's motorcade at a White House security gate, reports AP. He reportedly became combative with an officer and now faces assault charges. As for the ho-hum lunch, Romney spent more than an hour with the president, and they talked mostly about foreign policy, according to the White House. After Romney congratulated Obama and wished him well, "they pledged to stay in touch, particularly if opportunities to work together on shared interests arise in the future," says the official statement, reports NBC News. The two did not talk about the possibility of Romney joining the Obama administration, reports Politico. Earlier, Romney met with Paul Ryan, and the would-be VP said he remains "grateful to Governor Romney for the honor of joining his ticket this fall, and I cherish our friendship."