Sen. Susan Collins returned home to Maine on Friday and was greeted with great enthusiasm by travelers inside the Bangor International Airport. As she walked off the plane, travelers in the gate area recognized her and broke into a hearty round of applause that continued to get louder as word spread she was in the area. Twitter user @BLCKDGRD grabbed a photo of a surprised and smiling Sen. Collins making her way through the gate area:
She described the scene to Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union show:
“It really was so extraordinary, heartwarming and affirming. I got off the plane and there was a large group of outbound passengers, none of whom I happen to know, and spontaneously some of them started applauding and then virtually all of them started to applaud,” Collins told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” on Sunday.
She added that in 20 years of serving in the senate, this was a first:
“It was just amazing. I’ve never had that happen in the 20 years that I’ve been privileged to serve in the Senate. So it was very encouraging and affirming, especially after arriving back home after a very difficult time,” she continued.
Watch her describe the joy-filled greeting to Jake Tapper: