Longtime conservative radio show host Jerry Bader said he was fired Thursday for being critical of President Donald Trump.

“It was made clear to me that the reason was the manner in which I covered President Trump,” Bader said.

He said he was fired by officials from Wausau-based Midwest Communications, where he had been employed for 18 years. The station website called Bader “the most influential opinion maker in northeast Wisconsin.”

Bader, who hosted a daily show on WTAQ in Green Bay, and other conservative talk radio show hosts in Wisconsin were critical of Trump’s demeanor and policies ahead of the spring primary in 2016 and since his election.

Republican lawmakers often appeared on Bader’s show to promote policy positions and share their side of controversies.

“I have always tried to tell what I believed is the truth and more recently to comport my behavior, on and off the air with my Christ-following faith, after I was saved in 2016,” Bader said. “I’ve always known it was (their) microphone that I used each day. I have no regrets on how I’ve handled the show the past two and a half years.”

Bader will continue to be employed by the conservative website MediaTrackers.org and plans to start a podcast with a similar-style show, he said.

“We wish Jerry nothing but continued success with his career at MediaTrackers.org and we are thankful for his years of service to the Northeast Wisconsin community and others in our state,” Jason Hillery, WTAQ operations manager, said in a statement.