Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, talks to reporters in Washington DC on May 30. Getty Images
ABC News has suspended Terry Moran, a senior correspondent. Moran wrote on social media that Stephen Miller, a top White House aide, is “richly endowed with the capacity for hatred.” He also called President Trump and Miller “world-class” haters. ABC News said Moran’s post broke their rules. They said, “ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality and does not allow personal attacks.” The company said the post did not show ABC’s views.
What Moran Said
Moran’s now deleted post said Miller is not the smart mind behind Trumpism. Moran wrote, “His ability to turn the movement’s impulses into policy is not brains. It’s bile.” He added, “You can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.” Moran said Trump is a “world-class hater,” but his hate is just a tool to make himself look good.
The Reaction
Stephen Miller responded sharply. He said Moran’s outburst shows the bias in the media. “For decades, privileged reporters have pretended to be neutral but are radicals,” Miller said. He added Moran showed his “true face.”
The White House press secretary also spoke out. Karoline Leavitt called Moran’s words “unacceptable and unhinged” on a news channel. She said, “This shows why the public no longer trusts the legacy media.” JD Vance, a vice president, called Moran’s post a “vile smear.”
Background on ABC News
This is not ABC’s first controversy involving Trump. Six months ago, ABC agreed to pay $15 million to a Trump-related group. This followed a defamation case after an anchor wrongly repeated a claim that Trump was found “liable for rape.” The claim was false.
The new suspension may increase the right-wing belief that mainstream media is biased against Trump and his team.
ABC’s Statement
ABC News emphasized its goal to stay fair and unbiased. They said, “ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks.”
