'As cowardly as it gets': ABC News blasted for firing reporter who criticized Trump

On Tuesday, ABC News officially fired journalist Terry Moran, who conducted the network's exclusive Oval Office interview with President Donald Trump less than two months ago.

CNN reported that Moran's firing came on the heels of his viral now-deleted tweet in which he called both Trump and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller "world class hater[s]." His post went on to posit that Miller's "bile" was his "spiritual nourishment" and that hate was his primary motivation, whereas Trump was motivated by "his own glorification." Notably, Moran was fired roughly 48 hours after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called on the network to punish Moran in response to the tweet.

According to CNN, the firing of Moran coincided with the end of his contract, which was due to expire at the end of this week, prompting some observers to suggest that the former ABC reporter's post was a strategic move to launch the next step of his career. SiriusXM political analyst Ameshia Cross opined that Moran "had nothing to lose" and may have wanted to end his tenure with ABC by "mic dropping on his way out."

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In a Bluesky post, University of Maine communications and journalism professor Michael Socolow made a similar observation, writing: "Here's what we know: 1) Terry Moran recently angered & frustrated Trump in an interview on his first 100 days just about a month ago. 2) His contract was close to expiration when he published a *very* uncharacteristic tweet. 3) ABC has proven craven in face of Trump threats."

Others on social media tore into the network for firing Moran. Comedian Frank Conniff wrote that Moran now "might consider working in a field that's a change of pace from ABC News, like journalism." Retired U.S. Army interrogator Alex Timmons lamented ABC's "cowardice" in response to Trump's attacks on the media and his political opponents.

"This is what the legacy of of media will be. The cowardice they showed in the face of fascism from someone who wants to destroy legacy media," Timmons wrote. "ABC just going along with Trump & firing Terry Moran is as cowardly as it gets."

"Terry Moran was fired for telling the truth," author Edward Winkleman posted. "It’s not partisan to call out hatred when it’s so extremely obvious. It’s journalism. Not sure what it is ABC thinks they’re doing."

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