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"Stupidity doesn't win any sympathy from me."

That was Dr. Polyphemous Pangloss' response when Annie Gunn sat down with him for lunch at the New York Deli and the subject concerning the president and his wife testing positive dominated the conversation.

"I had a patient who recently died from liver disease," continued the doctor. "He loved to drink. I told him that if he didn't abstain from alcohol, he was going to die. He didn't listen and now he's dead. I didn't shed one tear for him. He chose stupidity or lucidity and he paid the price."

"Are you saying that Trump is his own worse enemy?"

"He is our country's worst enemy. How many thousands have died because he has refused to set the example that wearing a mask, social-distancing and averting large crowds is the first line of defense in stopping this pandemic? He has infected our entire system with his ignorance. Not only has the nation's health declined under his lack of leadership and deliberate incompetence, but he is threatening the well-being of our democracy, of our economy and of our civility. Coronavirus is the least of his illnesses. He is a terminal case of cancer and he must be extirpated from public office. He is this malignant tumor with all these metastasizing white supremacist cells spreading throughout the country. I believe he represents a fatal threat to our country. He will stop at nothing in order to win. He has no second thoughts about stealing this election. For him democracy is an obstacle, not a steppingstone."

"You don't give a shit about Melania and Hope Hicks?"

"She's a honey who married for money. As to Hope Hicks, the fantasy of a thousand dicks, she chose to return to being one of Trump's tramps after she had had enough of his groping her the first time. If you make a pact with the devil, you're nothing more than a witch yourself and nobody is going to give a damn if you come crashing back to earth on your broom."

"You don't think he can use this incident to his advantage?"

"He's an idiot. If he wanted to win reelection so badly, why didn't he do everything within his power to conserve his health?"

"His supporters insist that he will turn it to his advantage with a new strategy."

"It's wishful thinking. This is a major negative for him. His strength is connecting physically with his lemmings and he won't be able to do that for two weeks and then there will be little more than two weeks until the election. You can't lose a key element in your tactics and expect to succeed. A star player is injured and the coach attempts to paint a pretty picture that the team will come together and compensate for this loss. That scenario seldom takes place. The usual outcome is a devastating defeat. The momentum has shifted. One plan succeeded and one plan failed in the approach to combating Coronavirus. As a result, you have a healthy Biden promising a healthy nation pitted against a sick president misleading a sick nation."

"Are you calling Biden the victor?"

"Fuck no! Biden has Trump on the ropes and he has to pound the crap out of this SOB. He has plenty of money and he has to pour every cent he has into the swing states. He has to pick and choose his appearances, but with Trump sidelined, this is Biden's opportunity to solidify his leads in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Florida as well as to spare no penny taking the fight to Trump in South Carolina, Georgia, Iowa and even Texas. Trump once thought he had a chance of grabbing states like Minnesota and Nevada, but he is on defense now. He no longer has the time to risk his capital on long shots. He has to refocus on the swing states that allowed him to eke out a victory four years ago and hope he can squeeze out a victory."

"You're a Christian. You don't feel an ounce of pity for him."

"We have 210,000 dead Americans. He didn't care about them. They were a number to him. Trump isn't even a number to me. He is nothing more in my opinion than a big fat zero."