Charlie Brotman, one of the most well-known voices in Washington, has been the announcer at every presidential inauguration parade since 1949 — with one exception: Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration.

Trump’s team hired another announcer for his inauguration and offered Brotman a chance to simply attend the parade, Brotman says, so he decided to sit that one out.

“He broke my heart, that’s what he did,” Brotman says. “I’ve always been the only announcer for the inaugural parade.”

BREAKING! Charlie Brotman will be returning to his role as "The President's Announcer" for tomorrow's #Inauguration of President @JoeBiden & Vice President @KamalaHarris. At 93 yrs young, Charlie started announcing at Truman's in '49 through @BarackObama's 2nd. Welcome back!!!! pic.twitter.com/VfYNKq2euV

— Michael Akin (@DCMichaelA) January 19, 2021

Indeed, the 93-year-old broadcast legend announced the parade for Harry Truman when he was just a student, returning eight years later as the official “President’s Announcer” for Dwight D. Eisenhower. He’s done the job for 11 presidents, a list that now includes Joe Biden.

“Welcome to the presidential escort of President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala D. Harris,” Brotman read aloud in a pre-recorded announcement, played from loudspeakers and heard by the the first families and guests during their walk to the White House during the Parade Across America.

When Biden’s inaugural committee reached out offering the job to Brotman last Thursday — like many plans for the inauguration, these arrangements happened quickly — the team said they could give him his own tent to keep him safe, or they could do everything virtually. Brotman lives in an assisted living home in Silver Spring, Md., with strict COVID-19 precautions, so he and his communications team decided to record the 23-page script in advance.

“It’s been very exciting, very colorful, dramatic, really nice,” he says of his involvement in the inauguration.

Of course, he would have preferred to be on Pennsylvania Avenue being “a pal with the president for about five minutes,” as he usually does during the parade. But he still appreciated the opportunity to be involved this year.

“This is not a ‘ho-hum, I’ve done this before.'” Brotman says. “It’s like the first time every time because it’s exciting and I love being just part of it. I think of this like a giant puzzle in front of me, and I’m one of the little pieces.”

In 2017, after being snubbed for the role he’s had for more than 60 years, Brotman worked other broadcast gigs — providing inaugural history for NBC Washington and making the welcoming remarks at the Women’s March.

Ages ago, Brotman, a D.C. native, was the announcer for the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium. He’s frequently been tapped to announce Opening Day and hand the ball to presidents who’ve thrown out the first pitch at Washington Nationals games. The D.C. Council even named a day after Brotman in 2018 to celebrate all of his broadcasting accomplishments.

He remembers Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy’s inaugurations as Hollywood affairs, with an unbeatable list of A-list celebrities. Despite the coronavirus restrictions and safety measures that made this year’s inauguration even more memorable, he felt particularly well prepared for the gig.

“If experience is the best teacher, I feel well equipped to be doing this because I’ve done it for about 16 different inaugural parades,” he says, “and 11 different presidents.”