History has built and formed several American traditions, and the presidential inauguration is no exception. Every four years, the public has grown used to certain consistencies such as parades, performances and speakers at the inauguration. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration promises to be different, however, as already traditions are being broken — perhaps most notably, the change in announcer.
According to the Daily Beast, Charlie Brotman has voiced every inauguration since the Truman presidency. That is, of course, until this one where a volunteer on the Trump campaign has replaced the 89-year-old announcer. This change has received a lot of coverage in the media, but does it really matter? According to Carlyn Jorgensen, adjunct professor of political science, the answer is yes.
“I think his change of the person making the announcements was a mistake, to be perfectly blunt,” said Jorgensen. “He is ignoring some of the historical aspects of the inauguration, and I think that’s to his detriment.”
Jorgenson said that Trump supporters might view the change as beneficial and symbolic of his difference from other politicians, but for many, the change might be seen as disrespectful and a breaking-away from history. But many aspects of the inauguration have already changed; Trump has had trouble getting performances for his inauguration as well.
“I think what we’re going to see is a very different type of inauguration,” said Jorgensen.
She said that it’s likely we’ll see a large amount of protests and tight security around the president-elect. Jorgensen noted that there were also protests at the George W. Bush inauguration because, like Trump, he did not win the popular vote of the election. That, added to the provocative language and news surrounding Trump, makes protesting even more likely.
The inauguration will take place on Jan. 20 — also a tradition — and though we can’t be sure what’s in store, we can trust that this will be a different kind of inauguration for a different kind of president.
