Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post told the PBS NewsHour that Lady Gaga’s performance left him emotional, specifically the singer’s gesture to the flag atop the dome of the Capitol building in light of the Jan 6. insurrection.

“In that moment, with that gesture, she spoke to the power of the flag, the power of our institutions, and more importantly, the power of our democracy,” Capehart said. “And how even when it was under attack it was resilient…that citadel of American democracy that was trashed at the instigation of the former president of the United States was able to turn around later that night, certify the election, and then two weeks later inaugurate a new president and a new vice president of the United States.”