Terry Moran calls Trump's D.C. National Guard deployment 'Kabuki Theater'

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Ex-ABC journo claims D.C. National Guard deployment all for show and scaring Black, Brown locals

Former ABC Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran argued on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s U.S. National Guard deployment and federalization of D.C. police is all for show.

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Former ABC senior national correspondent Terry Moran argued on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s U.S. National Guard deployment and federalization of D.C. police is all for show.

During an appearance on CNN’s "NewsNight with Abby Phillip," Moran called the deployment "Kabuki Theater," arguing that Trump’s order is only performative as troops and officers aren’t even stationed in D.C. areas where crime is the highest. 

"I was in Anacostia, east of the river, Congress Heights, where the most crime happens. They haven’t seen a single federal officer," he told a CNN panel, noting he had been in the area recently, reporting on D.C.’s beefed up security.

"They call it a Kabuki theater," he continued, mentioning how locals have described the extra security to him. "They’re like, this is where most of the murders happen. It’s a show."

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Former ABC News reporter Terry Moran argued on CNN Thursday that President Trump's crime crackdown in D.C. is more for show than for solving the city's crime issues.  (Paula Lobo/Getty)

The White House fired back at Moran on Friday, with spokeswoman Abigail Jackson telling Fox News Digital, "Why is anyone giving this washed-up loser the time of day? He’s repeatedly outed himself as a biased hack suffering from TDS. And he’s only further solidifying his reputation by criticizing the President’s efforts to stop violent crime in DC." 

Jackson continued, "Next, TDS Terry will probably say he’s mad about carjackings, robberies, car thefts, and overall violent crimes significantly dropping in D.C. since President Trump’s operation started."

Trump seized federal control of D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on Aug. 11 when he launched the "Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful" task force, under emergency powers in the Home Rule Act, which allows the president to federalize MPD for up to 30 days, unless Congress extends the duration.

The president also ordered 800 National Guard troops to be deployed in the nation’s capital as part of his effort to reduce crime and homelessness in the city. Local police and federal law enforcement officers in the city have made over 700 arrests since Aug. 7, according to White House data provided Wednesday to Fox News Digital.

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Former ABC News reporter Terry Moran spoke to CNN host Abby Philip about Trump's crime crackdown on Thursday. (Screenshot/CNN)

In addition to arguing that Trump’s order for D.C. law enforcement is more for show, Moran claimed that the presence of federal officers on D.C. streets is scaring locals, particularly minority families.

"Other places, there are checkpoints going on. There have been arrests made. There have been outstanding warrants that were executed on people, and people are happy about that. But what they don’t like is the loss of control and the militarization."

He continued, saying that "the checkpoints are discouraging parents from sending their kids to school. They’re discouraging people from having families visit, especially if they’re Black and Brown."

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Members of the U.S. National Guard walk towards the D.C. Armory after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the federal take over of the Metropolitan Police Department under the Home Rule Act and the deployment of the National Guard to assist in crime prevention in the nation's capital, in Washington, D.C., August 12, 2025. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)

Moran is no stranger to speaking out against the Trump administration. He was fired from ABC News in June after a social media screed against White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller over his key role in shaping the president’s immigration agenda. 

"Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He's a world-class hater," Moran wrote in the now-deleted post. "You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate."

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Moran went on to accuse Trump of also being a "hater" in the online rant. 

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