ABC News terminated veteran correspondent Terry Moran on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, following his controversial social media post targeting President Donald Trump and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The network declined to renew Moran’s contract, which was set to expire on Friday, after determining his post violated company policies regarding objectivity and professional standards.
The 65-year-old journalist found himself in hot water after posting a lengthy criticism on X early Sunday morning, June 8, calling both Trump and Miller “world-class haters.” Moran quickly deleted the post, but screenshots had already circulated widely, drawing immediate condemnation from Trump administration officials and internal scrutiny from ABC News executives.
In the deleted post, Moran wrote extensively about Miller, describing him as a man richly endowed with hatred whose spiritual nourishment comes from his animosity. The correspondent contrasted this with Trump, whom he also labeled a world-class hater but suggested the president’s hatred served only as a means to his own glorification. Moran characterized Miller’s approach as fundamentally different, writing that hatred constitutes his core spiritual sustenance.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded swiftly to the post, calling it unhinged and unacceptable. The administration reached out to ABC News to inquire about accountability measures for Moran. Vice President JD Vance also condemned the comments, describing them as an absolutely vile smear of Miller and urging viewers to remember Moran’s words when watching ABC’s coverage of the Trump administration. Vance called on the network to apologize to Miller for what he termed disgraceful content.
ABC News suspended Moran within hours of the post going viral on Sunday. Network executives moved quickly to distance themselves from the correspondent’s comments, stating that his post violated their standards and did not reflect the views of ABC News. The organization emphasized its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of objectivity, fairness, and professionalism among all reporters.
An ABC News spokesperson announced Tuesday that the network had reached the end of its agreement with Moran and decided not to renew based on his recent post, which constituted a clear violation of ABC News policies. The spokesperson reiterated the organization’s commitment to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism while holding all reporters to the highest professional standards.
The timing proved particularly unfortunate for Moran, as his contract was already scheduled to expire on Friday, June 14. According to sources familiar with the situation, prominent television correspondents like Moran typically operate under multi-year contracts, but the impending expiration made it easier for ABC to take decisive action without lengthy legal complications.
Moran’s departure comes amid heightened sensitivity for ABC News regarding its relationship with the Trump administration. The network agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library in December 2024 to settle a defamation lawsuit over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos related to the E. Jean Carroll case. This settlement added context to the network’s swift response to Moran’s controversial post.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to news of Moran’s exit with a threatening message on X, referencing a slogan Trump has used regarding protests in Los Angeles. Miller himself responded to the original controversy, suggesting that privileged anchors and reporters have long been radicals adopting a journalist’s pose, claiming that “Terry pulled off his mask.”
Moran joined ABC News in 1997 and spent 28 years with the network, serving as a longtime co-anchor of Nightline and covering eight presidential campaign cycles. He most recently held positions as senior national correspondent and anchor for ABC News Live, leading coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court and national politics. His extensive experience included serving as the network’s chief foreign correspondent.
The veteran journalist had interviewed Trump just weeks before his termination, conducting a one-on-one interview in late April 2025 about the president’s first 100 days in office. During that contentious exchange about deportations, Trump told Moran he was not being very nice, highlighting the professional tension that existed even before the social media incident.
According to internal sources at ABC News, colleagues were stunned by Moran’s post and subsequent termination. One network insider indicated there was no alternative but to let the longtime correspondent go, particularly given current industry-wide issues regarding public trust in legacy media. The source emphasized that the network took the matter seriously and dealt with it quickly to avoid prolonged controversy that could damage ABC News viewership and credibility.
