Lady Gaga seemed to do everything at the Super Bowl halftime performance Sunday in Houston, Texas. She played the piano, sang, danced, and at one point, jumped off the stage to catch a football. She also seemed to take on the president’s controversial, and recently suspended travel ban on seven Muslim majority countries.
The 30-year-old artist let her stellar performance speak for itself while many expected the singer to shout out President Trump’s travel and immigration restrictions along with his other policies that could target minorities in the states. Gaga has never been afraid to get political in the past, and disappointed some folks who were looking for her to use the high-platform to send an over-the-top politically charged statement.
But to the surprise of some viewers, Gaga may have offered a slight dig at the Trump administration’s travel ban and proposed wall along the southern US-Mexico border.
Completing her 12-minute set without any guest appearances, she opened with "God Bless America," then performed Woodie Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land"—which can be interpreted as a covert diss against President Trump and his administration. The song was originally written by Guthrie as a response to Berlin’s wall and the original lyrics include the line: "There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me.”
Gaga also performed some of her most recognized singles including “Poker Face,” The Edge of Glory,” and “Born This Way.”
As rumor has it, the NFL reportedly told Gaga not to make any political statements that could be seen as divisive and alienate fans. Of course, representatives for the league denied this and promised to give her artistic freedom throughout her set. The show comes amidst hundreds of thousands of Americans lining in the streets to protest the new president via nationwide Women’s Marches and emergency rallies against his travel restrictions.
Before the show, Gaga simply promised to use her performance to promote inclusion.
“I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality and the spirit of this country as one of love, and compassion, and kindness,” she told reporters at a news conference last week.
“My performance will uphold those philosophies,” she continued, “I don’t know if it will succeed in unifying America. You’ll have to ask America when it’s over.”
Watch Gaga's entire Super Bowl LI performance above.
