Charles Brotman has been the inauguration announcer for 60 years. The 89-year-old Brotman got the shock of his life when he received an e-mail from Trump's transition team telling him his service was not needed on January 20, 2017. Brotman said he was so distraught that he thought he was going to commit suicide.
Charles Brotman has been the inauguration parade announcer for 11 presidents, starting with President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957. Brotman is heartbroken not only because Trump's team won't allow him to be the announcer, but also because of the way he found out that he will not be able to be the announcer this year.
After all, it would have been great to have ended with the nice round number of 12.
Brotman's replacement
The Trump team is replacing Brotman with Steve Ray, a 58-year-old Washington-based freelance announcer who is a Trump supporter. Ray has worked with the MLB's Washington Nationals and for local radio stations. So, he is quite qualified for the task. He says he is not taking Brotman's place. Instead, he sees it as just being the guy who is next in line for the honor. The former announcer wished the new announcer well instead of hoping he will mess up so the team will call him back. After the initial shock, Brotman has made peace with the decision, and he wishes Ray well as he begins a new tradition.
Announcer Chairman Emeritus
Boris Epshteyn, spokesman for Trump's transition team, submitted a statement about Brotman. He said the former inauguration parade announcer will be honored as "announcer chairman emeritus." Also in the statement, the spokesman acknowledged that Brotman has been the voice of the inauguration parade for six decades, and people have come to recognize him for the great work he has done over the last 60 years.
However, the Trump team is thrilled for Steve Ray, who will introduce a new generation to the tradition of the inaugural parade.
Trump's inauguration is on January 20, 2017, but Charlie Brotman said he has not made up his mind as to whether he will attend or not.
