On the eve of Election Day, Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi joined Hillary Clinton's midnight rally in swing state, North Carolina. "We want you to stand up, be a part of history," Lady Gaga said dressed in stylish military-inspired garb from the podium. "Be in this moment, right now, with us, and fight for your future and the future of our children."
Throughout the speech, Gaga was austere and serious. She symbolically omitted mentioning Donald Trump by name. And in a pivotal turn, she encouraged Americans to embrace Trump supporters at this critical time, because as Hillary Clinton advocates: "We are stronger together."
"If we are true, true Americans, we must go from viewing his followers as our adversaries to viewing them as our allies. What does she say? What do we say? We are stronger together. And what I see in this remarkable woman is that she is ready to restore peace in this country. America is not America without its people."
Gaga focused on Clinton's resilience in the election cycle and the perseverance she displayed when "he" resorted to schoolyard name-calling and insults. Touching on the theme of bullying was especially resonant coming from Gaga, who has dedicated her career to ending prejudice, improving mental health programs and advocating for LGBTQ acceptance in both her activism and in her music.
"The truth is that Hillary Clinton has done this for her entire career," Gaga said. "She has a career in politics that spans decades of experience, education, leadership, and wisdom. She's ready to be president." Later in the speech, Gaga added, "Hillary Clinton is made of steel! Hillary Clinton is unstoppable!"
The pop star joined Jon Bon Jovi for an acoustic rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer." It wasn't a pristine cover; the sound was messy and often out-of-sync. But in the context of the political rally, the jilted sound gave the Eighties classic a kind of folk makeover that felt appropriately "of the people."