Terry Moran continued to defend his decision to label President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller a “world-class hater” even after ABC News cut ties with the veteran reporter and anchor.
In an interview with The Bulwark’s Tim Miller on Monday, Moran said the post was not a “drunk tweet” but rather “something that was in my heart and mind.”
“There is no Mount Olympus of objectivity where a Mandarin class of wise people have no feelings about their society. We’re all in this together,” he noted. “What you have to be is fair and accurate, and I would refer to the interview with the president that I did, or a lot of my work. And I would also say that this, while very hot, is an observation, a description that was accurate and true.”
Moran further described himself as a “Hubert Humphrey Democrat.”
“I’m old enough to remember and, you know, get practical things done that people need in a decent way and stand up for what’s right. And that is my politics,” he said. “So someone like Stephen Miller, in my judgment and in my observation, which is what reporters do, is degrading all that and is a danger, and that is what was in my heart.”
In an X post on June 8, Moran described Stephen Miller as a man who is “richly endowed with the capacity for hatred.”
“He’s a world-class hater,” he wrote at the time. “You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”
The journalist went on to say that Trump is also a “world-class hater,” but noted that “his hatred is only a means to an end, and that end is his own glorification. That’s his spiritual nourishment.”
Moran deleted the post, but was suspended by ABC later that morning. After some Trump administration officials called on the network to take action against him, ABC revealed it was cutting ties with Moran two days after his suspension.
“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,” a spokesperson told TheWrap. “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.”
When asked about the network’s decision, Moran said he viewed it as a business decision and that he “became bad business” for ABC. He also disputed claims that his contract was about to expire and said the network was “bailing” on him.
“We had a deal,” Moran said, adding that lawyers were still negotiating the terms of his exit and severance.
He also said he wasn’t worried about ABC’s $15 million settlement with Donald Trump or what he said — but admitted that he “should have been.”
“I’m proof that you don’t want to get in the way of this administration,” Moran pointed out.
Following his termination, Moran has launched a Substack, where he says he’ll focus on “important work” during what he described as “this time of such trouble for our country.”
“I’m going to be reporting and interviewing and just sharing with you and hoping to hear from you as well, so it’ll be a few days, maybe a little bit longer. Gotta get some stuff sorted out but can’t wait to see you,” he concluded.
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