The mayor of West Yellowstone resigned Wednesday morning after reports emerged about a series of controversial Facebook postings that stirred commotion in the small tourist town.

Jeff McBirnie announced his resignation in a Facebook post, writing that he was stepping down from the Town Council. He could not be immediately reached for comment.

“I owe the town an apology,” McBirnie said. “What I posted was mean and divisive. I have clearly fallen off the tracks. I have resigned from the council. Thank you and sorry to have caused such a drama.”

The resignation came less than 24 hours after screenshots of McBirnie’s posts circulated on social media and were reported by the Chronicle. In them, he declared “I’m ANTIFA,” referencing a left-wing anti-fascist ideology, called supporters of President Donald Trump “Nazis”, referred to the president as an “orange mango,” and criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

McBirnie told the Chronicle on Tuesday that the most recent comment was his “way of attending the No Kings protest last Saturday which I couldn’t attend,” and that he has the First Amendment right to peaceful protest.

Regarding the word “Antifa,” McBirnie said: “I’m anti-fascist, that’s all that means. I said what I said because I said what I said. I’m not in a terrorist organization. I’m just not happy with what’s happening at the federal level.”

Backlash began to brew in a local West Yellowstone Facebook group and spilled into Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting, which McBirnie did not attend.

During the meeting, a couple residents demanded action, including his resignation or formal censure by the Council — a move Council member Lisa Griffith supported.

“I’m going to be asking all of you to join me in censuring Jeff McBirnie for his social media activity that led to our town being portrayed in the light it is in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle today,” Griffith said. “Montana code annotated 7-5-4103 gives us all explicitly the power to sanction Council members for improper conduct.”

Some residents, however, called for unity amid differing political views and nationwide polarization.

“We’re all neighbors, and we all live in this town together, and this horrible divisiveness that’s gripping our nation has no place in this community,” Thomas Cannon said. “I’m not here to call for any kind of consequences on anybody, that’s not my lane. I’m just here to hopefully speak reason — we’re all neighbors.”

Others have taken to Facebook to voice their support for McBirnie, like Eric Peterson, who said: “Yet the president posts far more divisive stuff daily and those same citizens whole heartedly support it.”

Another said: “These are things in this world worth being divisive over.”

Two other people, Shawn Darrel Goodman and Lyric Wood said, “I stand with the Mayor,” and “I’m with the Mayor,” respectively.

McBirnie was appointed mayor by the Town Council earlier this year and has served as a council member since 2022.

Dan Walker, the town manager, said that under the town’s charter, the council will likely appoint a new mayor at its Nov. 4 meeting and must also appoint a fifth member to the council within 30 days.