89 year old inaugural announcer fired by Trump, says "I thought I was going to commit suicide'

President-elect Donald Trump has drifted further from the traditions of the Presidents before him by firing Charles Brotman as the announcer for the inauguration.
CNN reports the 89-year-old has announced every inauguration parade since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957, and Trump’s snub shocked Brotman to devastation.He said

“I looked at my email, then I got the shock of my life,”. “I felt like Muhammad Ali had hit me in the stomach.”“I was disappointed because I thought I would be the announcer,” he said. “Then when I read the e-mail, I thought I was going to commit suicide. It was really terrible.”

For 60 years, Brotman announced the presidential inauguration, witnessing the swearing in of 11 Presidents.
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As a result of Brotman’s removal, the Trump team has asked Steve Ray, a Washington-based freelance announcer, CNN reports.