Former longtime ABC News reporter Terry Moran defended his social media post blasting President Trump as a "hater," a post that eventually led to the reporter's ouster from the network.

"It’s way hot. And I wish I had a better story. It was something that was in my heart and mind. And I would say I used very strong language deliberately because he, I felt, and it wasn’t ... You see him all the time doing the same spitting venom and lies into our debate, degrading our public discourse, debasing it and using the power of the White House and what he’s been given,” Moran said during an appearance on pundit Tim Miller's Bulwark podcast.

Moran noted what he called Trump's ability to "grind us down in that bile," which he called "disturbing."

During the interview released Monday, Moran described the setting leading up to his late-night missive, saying it was "not a rock and roll, wild night" but a regular evening spending time with family.

"I got into bed and I thought, what was that? And I typed it out and I looked at it and I thought, 'That's true.' And I hit send."

ABC News announced last week it would not renew its contract with Moran following his post characterizing Trump and top White House aide Stephen Miller each as a "hater."

In the post, which was later deleted, Moran stated that Miller's "hatreds are his spiritual nourishment" while stating that the president's "hatred [is] only a means to an end, and that end [is] his own glorification. That's his spiritual nourishment."

ABC News said Moran, a veteran of more than 20 years at the network, had violated its social media policy with his post.

The White House pressured ABC for days to punish Moran, and its communications director Steven Cheung celebrated his ouster once it was announced.

Moran last week announced he would start a new media venture on Substack, a growing platform for journalists who have left mainstream media companies to cultivate their own followings.