ABC News correspondent Terry Moran was suspended from his duties after making disparaging comments about President Donald Trump and his senior advisor Stephen Miller on a now-deleted social media post. The post, which described the two men as ‘world-class haters,’ has drawn sharp criticism from the White House and senior administration officials.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the post on X, calling it ‘unhinged and unacceptable.’ She went on to accuse Moran of failing to maintain the professionalism expected of a journalist. ‘This is unacceptable and unhinged rhetoric coming from someone who works at a major television network,’ Leavitt added. ‘We have reached out to ABC, they have said they will be taking action, so we will see what they do.’ She also criticized the legacy media for its perceived bias, suggesting that the public’s trust in traditional media is eroding.
Vice President JD Vance also joined the criticism, stating that Moran’s comments were ‘dripping with hatred.’ ‘Remember that every time you watch ABC’s coverage of the Trump administration,’ Vance said, implying that Moran’s actions reflect a pattern of bias in the network’s reporting.
Miller, who is a top advisor to the president, responded to Moran’s comments on Sunday, calling the post a ‘public meltdown’ and criticizing the so-called ‘corporate press’ for its radical leanings. ‘The most important fact about Terry’s full public meltdown is what it shows about the corporate press in America. For decades, the privileged anchors and reporters narrating and gatekeeping our society have been radicals adopting a journalist’s pose,’ Miller wrote.
ABC News issued a public statement condemning the post as unprofessional, saying it violated the network’s standards of objectivity and impartiality. ‘ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others. The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards — as a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further evaluation,’ the network said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
Moran’s suspension comes after a contentious interview with Trump during his 100th day in office. During the interview, Trump criticized Moran for not being ‘very nice’ during an exchange about the deportation of illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia. ‘They’re giving you the big break of a lifetime,’ Trump told Moran. ‘You’re doing the interview, I picked you because, frankly, I never heard of you, but that’s okay. I picked you, Terry, but you’re not being very nice.’
Moran, in turn, pressed Trump on his relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, which led to a heated exchange. ‘I don’t trust you. I don’t trust a lot of people,’ Trump responded. ‘I don’t trust you. Look at you. You’re so happy to do the interview, and then you start hitting me with these fake questions.’
Trump also took aim at former President Joe Biden during the interview, calling him ‘grossly incompetent’ and suggesting that the media was responsible for not reporting on the issue. ‘You knew it. I knew it. Everybody knew it. You guys didn’t want to write about it because you’re fake news,’ he said. ‘By the way, ABC is one of the worst, I have to be honest with you,’ he added.
The incident highlights the increasing tensions between the administration and the media, with both sides accusing each other of bias and unprofessional conduct. While the suspension of Moran represents a significant move by ABC News, the broader implications for media freedom and political discourse remain under scrutiny.