ABC News suspends correspondent Terry Moran over X post attacking Trump, Stephen Miller

ABC News on Sunday suspended a senior correspondent following a since-deleted social media post where he criticized White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and President Trump.

Shortly after midnight on Sunday, senior national correspondent Terry Moran wrote on X that Miller  is “richly endowed with the capacity for hatred.” Moran continued, “He’s a world-class hater.”

Moran also lambasted Mr.  Trump, claiming his hatred is “only a means to an end, and that end [is] his own glorification.”

The post was removed early Sunday morning and Moran has not publicly said anything since.

An ABC News spokesperson confirmed that the news division suspended Moran pending further evaluation of the incident.

“ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. “The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards.”

The White House went on the offensive against Moran on Sunday, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt responding to Moran’s comments, Sunday, calling it “unhinged and unacceptable.”

Miller posted on social media that Moran’s “full public meltdown” shows that the “privileged anchors and reporters narrating and gatekeeping our society have been radicals adopting a journalist’s pose.” 

Vice President JD Vance also weighed in, calling Moran’s post a “vile smear” on Miller and that it is “dripping with hatred.”

“As it happens, I know Stephen quite well,” Vance continued. “And he’s motivated by love of country. He’s motivated by a fear that people like Terry Moran make rules that normal Americans have to follow, but well connected people don’t.” 

In April, Moran interviewed Mr. Trump in the president’s  first major broadcast appearance in his second term. Moran has been with ABC News since 1997, and has covered the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Iraq war. 

In December 2024, ABC News settled a defamation suit with Mr. Trump, agreeing to contribute  $15 million to his presidential foundation and museum. The lawsuit, brought on by Mr. Trump, accused anchor George Stephanopoulos of acting with “malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth,” for incorrectly reporting that a jury found Mr. Trump liable for rape in the E. Jean Carroll case, rather than sexual abuse. 

Mr. Trump is also suing CBS News accusing the news organization of election interference for “deceitful” editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign. CBS News calls the claims “false. “