“A new level of panic hit the street,” Scott Reed, who managed Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, told The Post. “It’s time for a serious reset.” Said veteran GOP lobbyist Charlie Black: "You just hope he’ll have more days on message than days on consciousness.”

Here's the thing: There is no pivot. There is no reset. There is no button to be pushed that turns Trump into a more orthodox, traditional candidate. Trump is Trump. And he's not changing.

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Don't believe me? Take Trump's word for it. Amid a series of stories and leaks suggesting that his campaign is totally off the rails and needs an intervention, here's what Trump said at a rally in Florida on Wednesday afternoon: "The campaign is doing well. It's never been so united. Right now it's the best in terms of being united since we began."

So, right. That doesn't sound much like a guy who thinks major changes — or any changes — are necessary, does it?

I've said it — and written it — before, but I will say it again: How many 70-year-olds fundamentally change who they are? Particularly those who have been successful and are celebrities? I'll answer it for you: No 70-year-olds do that. None. Not one. Zero. Zilch.

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And even if Trump makes a nod to the need to "reset," which I very much doubt, his past flirtations with "traditional" campaigning and messaging suggest it won't last long.

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Remember back to the last time there was a panic within the GOP about Trump — just before California's June 7 primary. Trump took the stage that night, amid dire warnings to straighten up and fly right from Mitch McConnell among others, and delivered a speech and a message designed to calm GOP nerves.

"I understand the responsibility of carrying the mantle," Trump said at one point during that speech. "I will never let you down." The pivot had begun! A new campaign was upon us!

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Within days, Trump was back to being Trump. Because, well, that's who he is.

Why, then, do establishment Republicans keep playing Charlie Brown to his Lucy?

Simple: They have no choice. For all the talk about the possibility of Trump walking away from the race and Republicans replacing him with a more traditional candidate, that's simply not going to happen. Trump is loving every second of this campaign. And unless he quits, which he won't, it's virtually impossible for Republicans to get rid of him.

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That leaves Republicans with three options: (1) Don't vote, (2) vote for Hillary Clinton (as some have publicly announced they will do), or (3) hope like hell that Trump has an "aha!" moment and starts to understand what he needs to do to win.

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You can see why option 3 is appealing to lots and lots of Republicans. While all of the available evidence suggests that Trump simply has no other gear to shift to or new leaf to turn over, the election is still 97 days off. He could, theoretically-I'm-just-saying, reinvent himself. Things could change!

True, sort of. Think of it this way: As a 6'2", 40-year-old male, physics would suggest that with the proper training and diet regimen, I could dunk a basketball. But you, me and the guys I play pickup hoops with know that isn't ever going to happen. It's just not.