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The Internet lost its mind Friday when Politico published a picture of a Donald Trump Jr. and Robert Mueller waiting at the same airport gate in Washington D.C. This sparked frenzied speculation as to what their chance encounter was like, and unsurprisingly, a flood of Trump Jr. and Mueller memes quickly followed.
After Politico published the photo, both men confirmed that it was indeed them in the picture. Trump Jr. told the Daily Mail that he "didn't notice" Mueller there," while a spokesperson for Mueller told ABC News that the special counsel "was not aware of [Trump Jr.] and had no interaction with him." It's unclear whether or not they were boarding the same flight.
Mueller and Trump Jr. are both central figures in the Justice Department's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible obstruction of justice by President Trump: Mueller is leading that investigation, while Trump Jr. is reportedly a focus of it.
As many noted, the encounter took place at Gate 35X, a widely-loathed gate at Reagan National Airport. Passengers assigned to flights through Gate 35X must first take an escalator, then wait in the cramped and dimly-lit gate for a shuttle bus to arrive; the shuttles, also small and stuffy, then transports passengers to their plane. Over 5,000 commuters travel through Gate 35X every day, according to the Washington Business Journal.
The sight of Trump Jr. and Mueller in such close proximity in such a mundane environment sparked countless memes of the two men.
Camo Hat
A closer photo of Trump Jr. on the plane revealed that his hat does indeed have a camouflage pattern.
We've All Been There
The two men claim they didn't notice each other. But you can just feel the tension in the air.
Too Real
Mueller, who fought in the Vietnam War, does indeed have a Purple Heart. Trump Jr's deodorant of choice is unknown, however.
Common People
Partisan bickering aside, there appeared to be a broad consensus on Twitter that Gate 35X is, indeed, an unmitigated nightmare for commuters.
Just Talkin' On The Phone...
To be clear, there's no evidence that Trump Jr. was faking this phone call.
Glitch In The Matrix
Not to get too nitpicky here, but according to the Washington Post, 1.2 million people travel through Gate 35X every year, so it's not too unlikely that two prominent public figures in Washington D.C. might find themselves at the gate at the same time.
Mueller is reportedly scrutinizing the now-infamous meeting between Trump Jr., his brother-in-law Jared Kushner, Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and other Trump associates at Trump Tower in July 2016. Trump Jr. arranged that meeting after being told that Veselnitskaya could deliver incriminating information about Hillary Clinton to the campaign from he Russian government, according to emails that Trump Jr. released after the meeting became public.
Of course, it's far too soon to say what will come of the Mueller investigation, and to what extent it will affect Trump Jr. For now, though, enjoy the sight of these two highly-important national figures having a decidedly relatable experience: Getting bored at the airport waiting for their flight.
