The mayor of Auburn, California has announced his resignation after setting off a political firestorm with an anti-Trump meme.
The post from Mayor William Kirby compared Trump supporters to the KKK. In a comment, he also compared the president to Adolf Hitler and said the world would be better off without him. The post and comments have since been deleted, but not before screenshots were taken.
The mayor of Auburn, CA is facing backlash tonight over controversial social media posts. One post appears to equate Trump supporters to members of the KKK. Mayor Bill Kirby has been a vocal critic of Pres Trump but community members say this crossed the line. Here's his response pic.twitter.com/6cr1Su1aN0
— Bridgette Bjorlo (@bridgettebjorlo) April 13, 2020
The backlash was swift. Kirby announced his resignation Monday during a zoom meeting. He would not do so immediately, instead promising to formally resign at the next city council meeting on April 27.
Kirby, who serves as chief of medical staff at Sutter Auburn Faith and chief of the Surgery Department at Roseville Community Hospital, told his colleagues that his frustrations over the handling of the pandemic had boiled over.
“I spent 40 years dedicating my life to serving the community of Auburn as a physician and through my volunteer efforts. Am I perfect? No. We’re all a little flawed.” But, he added, “this president has put us all at risk.”