ABC News has fired veteran correspondent Terry Moran, citing company policy violations and the imperatives of journalistic integrity after Moran said in a since-deleted social media post that President Donald Trump was a “world-class hater” and that top aide Stephen Miller’s “bile” was fueling Trump’s movement.
A spokesperson for ABC News told media outlets in a June 10 statement that the company had decided not to renew its contract with Moran based on the post.
“We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post—which was a clear violation of ABC News policies—we have made the decision to not renew,” the spokesperson said.
“At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism,” the spokesperson added.
Moran, who spent more than two decades at ABC News covering everything from presidential campaigns and Supreme Court rulings to wars abroad and the 9/11 aftermath, has not commented publicly on the dismissal.
This past April, Moran sat down with Trump for an exclusive interview in the Oval Office, which included several tense exchanges, including one about the deportation to El Salvador of illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who has since returned to the United States to face charges of smuggling other illegal immigrants into the country. Trump insisted Garcia had a tattoo linking him to the MS-13 gang, which Moran disputed, claiming a photo of the tattoo shared by Trump had been digitally altered.
Several weeks later, Moran wrote the post on X that prompted the White House to demand accountability from ABC and eventually lead the company to cut ties with the veteran journalist.
“Last night, in a since deleted post, so-called ‘journalist’ @TerryMoran went on a rampage against Stephen Miller and called President Trump ‘a world class hater,’” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on June 8. “This is unhinged and unacceptable. We have reached out to @ABC to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable.”
Miller also responded to the post, calling Moran’s remarks a “full public meltdown” and describing him as a radical pretending to be a journalist.
Vice President JD Vance weighed in, saying he knows Miller well and believes he’s motivated by both love for the country and “fear that people like Terry Moran make rules that normal Americans have to follow, but well connected people don’t.” Vance said Moran’s post was “disgraceful” and that ABC should apologize to Miller.
Trump, who has not commented publicly on the post that sent Moran on a trajectory towards his dismissal, said during the sit-down interview that Moran’s insistence that Garcia’s tattoo did not reflect MS-13 affiliation was a “disservice” to viewers.
“This is why people no longer believe the news, because it’s fake news,” Trump said, accusing Moran of being dishonest.
A request for comment sent to ABC News regarding the circumstances of Moran’s dismissal was not returned.
This is not the first time a journalist’s remarks have landed ABC in hot water with the Trump administration. ABC and its anchor George Stephanopoulos reached a $15 million settlement with Trump in a defamation lawsuit in 2024 after Stephanopoulos claimed on air that Trump was “found liable for rape” by a federal jury.
Stephanopoulos’ remarks followed two civil lawsuits in New York filed by author E. Jean Carroll, who in 2019 accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s—allegations Trump has repeatedly denied. While the jury rejected her claim of rape, it held Trump liable for sexual abuse.
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