Terry Moran was fired by ABC News this week over comments he made on the X platform about President Trump and his stooge Stephen Miller. Hold everything. Stop the presses. Scuttle the First Amendment. Free speech in the United States is now dead. Like totalitarian governments before him, Trump has the media bigwigs not only scared to write anything critical of him but so intimidated that they will fire seasoned, experienced reporters to escape his wrath.

How did we get here? Need you ask. Listen to the threats that the president has been making for ten years. Read Project 2025. Follow Stephen Miller’s neo-Nazi past. It’s all there. He is simply taking a chapter out of the Adolf Hitler, Viktor Orbán, Vladimir Putin book of suppression.

What Terry Moran Tweeted

Late Saturday night on X, Moran tweeted that Miller “is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred.” He went on to write of Mr. Miller that “his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”

He wrote that Mr. Trump “is a world-class hater, but his hatred is only a means to an end,” adding that the end is “his own glorification.”

ABC swiftly suspended Moran Sunday morning, no doubt precipitated by a stern call from the White House. His post was later deleted, but screenshots of the tweet continued to circulate on social media. Vice President JD Vance quickly pounced on the opportunity, calling the post an “absolutely vile smear.” Both Vance and Miller described the post as more proof of what they claim is an anti-Trump bias in the mainstream media.

ABC’s Actions

The network’s announcement of Moran’s dismissal read.

“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. 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 journalist.”

His contract was set to expire on Friday. Moran, currently a senior national correspondent, has held various positions at ABC News, including serving as the network’s chief White House correspondent. He was a co-anchor of “Nightline” and also covered the Supreme Court and foreign conflicts. Moran had worked at ABC News for 28 years.

It was reported that several ABC News staffers were upset, even angry, at Moran over his tweets. My guess is that most of these staffers were fearful of increased focus by the Trump administration on the actions and comments of the network. They are already well aware of ABC’s capitulation on the administration’s lawsuit against “This Week” and its host, George Stephanopoulos. And it appears that, for business purposes, CBS will cave on the Trump lawsuit against “60 Minutes.”

Fact and Reality

At the core of the situation, what did Terry Moran say that warranted his termination from his long-time employer? He was commenting as a private U.S. citizen. He expressed comments that are the opinions of many Americans. And why are his First Amendment rights any less sacred than yours or mine? Maybe ABC was looking for a way out of their contract with Mr. Moran, a well-paid senior member of the ABC news team. This is unlikely since his contract with the network was set to expire in three days.

Let’s call it what it is. Clearly, it stems from a fear of Mr. Trump and any threats or actions he may take against the network. Perhaps they are fearful of losing their Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license. Maybe they are planning a merger with another media conglomerate, and they are fearful that the president will torpedo this business agreement, ala CBS. Or it may simply boil down to ABC executives’ concern over the increased intimidation and slander of their network by the administration.

Mr. Moran’s Next Move

As for Terry Moran, he will be just fine. He announced one day after his termination from ABC that he’s moving to the newsletter platform Substack. Of the move, Moran said.

“For almost 28 years, I was a reporter and anchor for ABC News, and as you may have heard, I’m not there anymore. And I can’t wait to get at it, to get at the important work that we all have to do in this time of such trouble for our country. I’m gonna be reporting and interviewing and just sharing with you, and hoping to hear from you as well.”

Here’s to you and your continued success, Terry Moran.