Obama, Springsteen lead Independence Mall rally for Clinton

A crowd estimated to be about 40,000 strong assembled Monday night on Independence Mall in Philadelphia to cheer on  Hillary Clinton on her last night of campaigning.

Supporters began gathering early in the afternoon for the chance to see the Democratic candidate, President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, LeBron James and a host of other Democratic candidates and celebrities.

The line extended for more than 1.5 miles as buoyant crowds waited to get into the star-studded campaign event.

After Springsteen performed, Chelsea and Bill Clinton took the stage, thanking the crowd.

Michelle Obama spoke next, calling Hillary Clinton “a bold and brilliant woman who is an inspiration to me and women all over the country.

“In just a few hours, we have the power to make her out next president,” Obama continued. “But if we stay home or play around with a protest vote, then Hillary’s opponent will win. End of story.” 

Clinton had a packed schedule for her final day on the campaign trail, starting at noon in Pittsburgh and ending with a midnight rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also appeared in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Monday afternoon.

The campaign shadow lifted by the FBI, Clinton promised to build a “big-hearted” America out of the wreckage of a strikingly divisive presidential race. Donald Trump told his supporters this was their last chance to buck a broken political system.

Clinton delivered a closing argument that began to look ahead to how she would govern, promising she would listen even to those voters who rejected her and making a late plea for “more love and kindness.”

President Barack Obama said he’s staking “whatever credibility” he has earned in his eight years in the White House to convince voters that Hillary Clinton is the right choice to be his successor.

As he began a busy day of campaigning for his former secretary of state, Obama said, “I am asking you to trust me on this.”