Inaugural parade announcer since 1957 replaced by Trump supporter
Charlie Brotman was expecting a pat on the back, but says instead, he got a kick in the behind.
Brotman, 89, has been the lead announcer of every inaugural parade since 1957, celebrating each president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama. Last week, Brotman received an email from President-elect Donald Trump's team, telling him he was not going to participate this year. "I was demoralized, absolutely demoralized," Brotman, who was also the voice of the Washington Senators baseball team, told BuzzFeed News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Since the Trump campaign is struggling to line up top talent for the inaugural events, it seems odd that a well-known personality in Washington won't be participating, but Brotman says he suspects he was ousted because Ray is a Trump supporter. He holds no hard feelings, telling WJLA he hopes Ray does a "spectacular" job, and now that he's had time to process things, Brotman is feeling better about what has transpired; he's trying to decide if he wants to accept the role of "announcer chairman emeritus" and is mulling over "guest announcer" offers he's received from media outlets and networks. Catherine Garcia
-
Which way will Trump go on Iran?Today’s Big Question Diplomatic talks set to be held in Turkey on Friday, but failure to reach an agreement could have ‘terrible’ global ramifications
-
High Court action over Cape Verde tourist deathsThe Explainer Holidaymakers sue TUI after gastric illness outbreaks linked to six British deaths
-
The battle over the Irish language in Northern IrelandUnder the Radar Popularity is soaring across Northern Ireland, but dual-language sign policies agitate division as unionists accuse nationalists of cultural erosion
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
