Stand with Survivors – Release the Files
By Julie A. Ryan
Most of my friends refused to watch the State of the Union address because Trump is so gross. Since he was elected president, I’ve heard the term “gross” used even more than when I was a teenager in the 1980s and saying “gross” was mandatory in conversations. Everything Trump touches is gross. Gross is the best way to describe the residue caused by his existence. Literally every part of American life has been grossified because of Trump and the people who have enabled him. When I accuse Trump of being gross, I’m not stooping to his level and making fun of his appearance the way he does with other people. I mean that Trump is gross in the way he’s elevated slimy behavior that victimizes vulnerable people and steals from the poor to fill his greedy grifter pockets. Because Trump is gross, I decided to subject myself to the State of the Union address. I knew that some of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims would be present in The People’s House during the gross president’s speech. And I didn’t want to miss the moment that they hopefully confronted Trump and maybe threw sex toys at the gross leader of the free world and screamed, “We know what you did!” My reasons for watching the State of the Union were very Jerry Springer-esque.
As the Grossmander-in-Chief strolled down the aisle of the House Chamber, I was amused by his combover bobbing up and down and imagined his hairstylist would be swimming with the fishes for not using enough hairspray on him. But when President Gross got settled in behind the podium, I started regretting deciding to watch. I couldn’t help but picture him with the woman who said she was with Trump when she was a 13 or 14-year-old girl. She said she performed oral sex on him before he hit her. The images that conjures made me briefly wish that NPR hadn’t released the news story right before the State of the Union regarding some of the woman’s FBI interviews being withheld from the released Epstein Files. But I know that it’s best to shine a light on all of the gross illegal things the Gross Executive is guilty of. I know that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but of course Donald J. Gross is guilty regarding being aware of Epstein’s illegal activities. He lied several times about his relationship with his BFF Epstein. Innocent people don’t lie when they’re accused of friendship with someone. Innocent people don’t have the DOJ disappear documents on their behalf. Innocent people don’t appear in the Epstein Files over 5,300 times—in the documents that were actually released to the public. Who knows how many times the Gross of State is mentioned in the documents that have been withheld?
Not wanting to miss the moment the Gross Despot got called out for his grossness in real time, I kept watching. I suffered through the Gross Overlord somehow taking credit for the men’s hockey team winning gold at the Olympics and announcing that he was deserving of a Purple Heart. And I watched what felt like a hundred people getting the Medal of Freedom and other medals—a futile attempt to convince me that America is great again. The moment of truth I had been waiting for never happened during the State of the Union address. It feels like no moment of truth will ever happen to Der Grossmeister. Gross people are masters of escaping accountability because other gross people give them a pass for gross behavior. That’s how it works in autocratic societies like America. Il Gross Duce has learned to capitalize on the gross system of justice that allows certain people to escape if they have enough money, fame, or power. I suffered through two gross hours packed with insults hurled at Democrats, lies, lies, and more lies. It was the delivery of a gross message that could have been said in two seconds: Trump good. Dems bad.
When I saw that some of the Democrats in the House Chamber were wearing buttons that read “STAND WITH SURVIVORS – RELEASE THE FILES,” I hoped that one of them would stand up at some point and announce that the missing files regarding Trump and Epstein being with the 13 or 14-year-old had been found, then they would march up to the podium and hand them to Der Gross Führer. I wanted to see his gross reaction in real time.
Much to my disappointment, I endured two hours of His Grossness for nothing. No accusations or dildos or bottles of KY gel were tossed at the gross leader of the free world during his speech. Life continues on in gross America as a list of prominent people involved in some capacity with Epstein are losing their careers and the respect of people who once admired them; they’re falling from grace. Yet, the Commander-in-Gross is still standing. DJT’s DOJ is still protecting him. His administration is facilitating his every wacky wish. Republican Congresspeople are still enabling him. FOX News is still spin doctoring him. MAGA supporters are still supporting him even though it’s possible he actually violated a 13 or 14-year-old. Now that’s gross.
© 2026 by Julie A. Ryan. All rights reserved.
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WHEN LIFE WAS STILL . . . 