ABC News has suspended its senior national correspondent Terry Moran following a late-night social media post in which he accused President Donald Trump and top White House adviser Stephen Miller of being “world-class haters.” The post, published on the platform X shortly after midnight Sunday, quickly drew condemnation from the Trump administration and conservative media circles.
In the now-deleted post, Moran wrote that while Trump uses hatred as a tool for self-glorification, Miller, who has long been associated with the administration’s hardline immigration policies, “eats his hate.” The comment was widely shared before being removed, and Moran has not commented publicly since.
The backlash was swift. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Moran’s remarks as unprofessional and unbefitting of a journalist at a major news outlet. “We have reached out to ABC to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable,” she said on X, adding in a Fox News interview that she hoped ABC would either suspend or terminate him.
An hour later, ABC News issued a statement confirming Moran’s suspension, emphasizing the organization’s commitment to impartiality. “The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards,” the network said. “As a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further evaluation.”
Moran, a veteran journalist who previously anchored “Nightline” and recently conducted a high-profile Oval Office interview with Trump in April, has long been considered one of ABC’s most seasoned political correspondents. His post marked an uncharacteristically personal and politically charged deviation from the network’s editorial standards.
Stephen Miller, often referred to as the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, responded to Moran’s remarks with a scathing rebuke of the mainstream media. “For decades, the privileged anchors and reporters narrating and gatekeeping our society have been radicals adopting a journalist’s pose. Terry pulled off his mask,” he wrote on X.
Vice President JD Vance also came to Miller’s defense, calling him a patriot “motivated by love of country,” and demanded that ABC apologize. The post and its aftermath have reignited debates over journalistic objectivity in the age of social media, where professional and personal opinions often collide.
While criticism of Miller is not new—he was the subject of the 2020 book Hatemonger, which explored his ties to far-right ideologies—it remains highly unusual for a mainstream network journalist to level such direct attacks, particularly on social media.
ABC News did not specify the length of Moran’s suspension or whether further disciplinary action is being considered. The incident has sparked internal discussions within the network about balancing free speech and journalistic integrity in the digital age.
As media organizations continue to navigate politically polarized terrain, the incident underscores the fine line reporters must walk between personal conviction and professional responsibility.
