Why Did ABC Suspend Terry Moran? How the Reporter’s Post Made His Future Unclear

Terry Moran was suspended from ABC News after he shared a critical post about President Donald Trump and one of his major advisers on social media.

The senior national correspondent called Stephen Miller, who works as Trump’s homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff for policy, and Trump “world-class hater[s].” He has since deleted the post on X.

Shortly after Moran shared the message, ABC News confirmed to PEOPLE that Moran “has been suspended pending further evaluation.”

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

Moran has a long history covering politics, and he’s been a senior national correspondent at ABC News since 2018. Just weeks before he was suspended, Moran interviewed Trump to speak about his first 100 days in office in his second term. Moran primarily reports on national political stories and covers the White House, the Supreme Court and various campaigns.

A rep for Moran has not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Here’s everything to know about Terry Moran and why he was suspended from ABC News.

Why is Terry Moran suspended from ABC News?

Moran was suspended after he wrote an incendiary message about Trump and one of his main advisors, Miller. Moran shared a lengthy message on X on June 8 about both parties.

“The thing about Stephen Miller is not that he is the brains behind Trumpism,” Moran wrote in a since-deleted message. “Yes, he is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into police. But that’s not what’s interesting about Miller.”

He continued writing, “It’s not brains. It’s bile. Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”

“Trump is a world-class hater. But his hatred is only a means to an end, and that end his his own glorification [sic]. That’s his spiritual nourishment,” he wrote.

Shortly afterwards, Miller addressed the comments in a since-deleted post on X and described Moran’s message as a “public meltdown.”

Meanwhile, several people from Trump’s team also commented on the message and called for Moran to be held “accountable” for his comments.

“Last night, in a since deleted post, so-called ‘journalist’ @TerryMoran went on a rampage against Stephen Miller and called President Trump ‘a world class hater.’ This is unhinged and unacceptable. We have reached out to @ABC to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a message on X alongside a screenshot of Moran’s since-deleted post.

Vice President J.D. Vance also addressed the social media post and called Moran’s message “absolutely vile smear.”

“ABC should apologize to Stephen,” he wrote on X. “What Terry posted is disgraceful.”

How long is Moran’s suspension?

Moran was suspended shortly after he shared his message on X on June 8. According to ABC News, the journalist’s suspension is “pending further evaluation,” so it is unclear if or when he will return to work.

Will he return to ABC News?

ABC News has not stated when or if it plans to bring Moran back on air. Per its statement, it said that it suspended Moran “pending further evaluation.” Moran has also not spoken out about his comments or his future with the company.

The network issued the suspension six months after their parent company, Disney, agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit against George Stephanopoulos. Trump sued the company after Stephanopoulos mistakenly stated that Trump had been found guilty of rape in a civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll, when the president was in fact found liable of sexual abuse, a lesser offense.