
ABC News has terminated veteran journalist Terry Moran following his suspension over a social media post that labeled President Donald Trump and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as “world-class haters.”
The network announced Tuesday that Moran’s quickly deleted X post constituted “a clear violation of ABC News policies.” ABC stated that while Moran’s contract was already set to expire, the network decided against renewal “based on his recent post.”
The Sunday night post primarily targeted Miller, whom Moran characterized as “the brains behind Trumpism.” Moran wrote that Miller “is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred” and called him “a world-class hater.” He also applied the same description to Trump, though he suggested Trump’s hatred served merely as “a means to an end” for “his own glorification.”
Regarding Miller specifically, Moran stated that “his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”
The Trump administration responded swiftly, with Vice President JD Vance condemning the post as an “absolutely vile smear of Stephen Miller.”
Moran, 65, had been with ABC News since 1997, serving as a longtime “Nightline” co-anchor and covering the Supreme Court and national politics in his role as Senior National Correspondent. He had recently interviewed Trump, during which the president told him, “You’re not being very nice” amid a tense discussion about deportations.
Trump aide Steven Cheung reacted to Moran’s departure Tuesday with a brief X post stating: “Talk s***, get hit.”
Meanwhile, Miller has been focused on the administration’s deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers and a Marine battalion to Los Angeles amid anti-immigration enforcement protests. In a Tuesday X post, Miller described California as a “criminal sanctuary for millions of illegal alien invaders” and claimed “huge swaths of the city where I was born now resemble failed third world nations.”
According to sources familiar with the situation, Moran’s ABC contract was scheduled to expire Friday.
The incident occurs during a particularly sensitive period for ABC News. The network recently agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over George Stephanopoulos’ incorrect statement that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
Moran’s departure comes as traditional television networks face declining viewership amid the growing influence of podcasters and subscription-based newsletters. This media landscape shift has attracted some journalists, including Mehdi Hasan, who launched his own media network in early 2024 after leaving MSNBC when his show was canceled.
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