ABC News has suspended senior national correspondent Terry Moran following a controversial late-night post on X, formerly Twitter, in which he described White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as a “world-class hater.” The post, since deleted, quickly sparked internal scrutiny and public outrage.
In a formal statement, ABC News emphasized its commitment to neutrality:
“ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its reporting. We do not condone personal attacks. The views expressed in the post do not reflect those of ABC News and violate our editorial standards. As a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further review.”
Moran’s post, published just after midnight on Sunday, sharply criticized Miller. He described him as a key architect of Trump-era ideology—someone who, in Moran’s words, “translates the impulses of the Trumpist movement into policy,” driven not by intellect but by “bile.” He went further, saying, “Miller is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s a world-class hater. You can see it in him—his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”
The language and tone of Moran’s post, though reflective of strong personal opinion, veered far from the journalistic neutrality expected by ABC and many in the industry. Despite the growing prevalence of opinion-driven programming on cable news, especially on networks like MSNBC, traditional news organizations often uphold stricter standards for their reporters—particularly those covering politics.
Moran, a veteran journalist with a record of significant political reporting, including a high-profile interview with President Donald Trump in April, has been praised in the past for his incisive work. But this outburst has called into question his impartiality, particularly when covering figures tied to the Trump administration.
The controversy comes at a time when ABC’s parent company, Disney, is already navigating turbulent waters with the former president. In December, Disney paid $15 million to settle a defamation suit brought by Trump after ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos mistakenly stated that Trump had been found guilty of rape in the civil case involving E. Jean Carroll. While Carroll did win the case, Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Stephen Miller swiftly responded on X to Moran’s post, calling it a public “meltdown” and evidence of bias in the corporate press. “For decades, privileged anchors like Moran have posed as journalists while pushing radical views. Today, he just pulled off the mask,” Miller wrote.
Miller wasn’t alone in criticizing Moran. Vice President JD Vance also reacted strongly, writing on X that he knows Miller personally and regards him as someone “motivated by love of country.” He accused Moran of vilifying someone committed to conservative values, adding, “Terry Moran makes rules that regular Americans must follow, but the well-connected avoid.” He also called for ABC to issue a formal apology, labeling the post “a disgrace.”
The post appeared online just hours after President Trump had deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests over ICE raids. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the move, calling it “purposefully inflammatory.”
Adding further context, Moran had previously conducted an Oval Office interview with Trump during the administration’s early days, pressing him on several controversial claims. One exchange grew tense when Moran challenged Trump’s assertion that a man in a photo bore gang tattoos—markings that had actually been superimposed.
Interestingly, Moran—not World News Tonight anchor David Muir—landed the Trump interview. Muir, along with Linsey Davis, moderated a 2023 presidential debate that drew accusations of bias from Trump supporters after moderators challenged the former president on several points. One conservative organization even filed an FCC complaint over alleged unfairness in the debate.
While Moran’s suspension unfolds, it reignites long-running tensions between major news outlets and political figures over bias, objectivity, and the role of personal opinion in public discourse.