All during Paul Manafort’s criminal trial, including while the jury was deliberating, the president of the United States did everything but call the jury members, espousing what an honest, good and decent man Manafort is.

Even after the jury convicted him on numerous counts, the president continued his rant. That old cliché that “water seeks its own level” surely applies here.

The president — who is so unhinged he can’t tell the truth, even when the facts are laid out before him — has set a new low for a human being. This isn’t about a Republican president. It’s not partisan Democratic chatter. It’s about an American who occupies the presidency and has done more damage to the office than the Russians could have ever accomplished.

Despite all unquestioned facts presented to him by all of our intelligence agencies, instead of enforcing sanctions against the Russians, he waters down and delays sanction enforcement. Meanwhile, other elected GOP leaders hunker down in their pit of cowardice and up through today have done nothing to rein in the president and restore honor to that office and this country.

Michael Cohen, the president’s former attorney, is the key to bringing to Trump his wish. Trump yowls daily, “Where’s the collusion? There is no collusion.” That apparently continues his trend of not reading information provided to him. Trump already knows some of what Cohen has, but even Trump has no idea how many secret recordings his attorney made that just might create the key to the Big House.

I’ve just read that Trump is coming back to North Dakota to support candidates. So far, we don’t know what city he will appear in. Whichever it is, that city would be well advised to inform his contacts that they will be billed for his security. In Fargo, just one of his prior campaign visits cost us a lot of taxpayer dollars, and that’s not right. When the president appears on matters of state that affect all of us, of course the locals must provide protection. Not so, when he comes for partisan politics and candidate support.

There hasn’t been much news of the emoluments lawsuits lately, but stay tuned. If successful, they will result in the president having to divest himself from all of his properties and businesses from which he is profiting while he sits in the Oval Office — especially from foreign governments.

I’d like to be a fly on the wall when he and his wife speak. She has established a platform against bullying at the same time our Coward in Chief, in his tweets, sets a new low for bullying tactics that we the taxpayers pay for.

The president and his little suck-up Kevin Cramer have renewed their attacks against Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. They should stop it. I have a theory that says if you can’t tell the truth, shut the hell up. Cramer has pledged to support “45” 100 percent of the time. Heidi has pledged to support her constituents first, including the president, but only when he’s right.

I’ve watched with keen interest how some very successful farmers love this president and don’t seem to be concerned with his tariffs. Those who aren’t concerned are either lying or are very well-to-do. The thoughtless tariffs have hit North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota farmers (among others) very hard. Not everyone can wait to see if they will be successful in the long run. This may be the death knell for some hard-working types.

The farm industry, dairy industry, motor vehicle industry and steel and aluminum industries are being hurt by the tariffs right now. That translates into higher costs for you and me.

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Education Secretary Betsy Devos’s focus on private schools is nothing more than lining her pockets at public schools’ expense. Just as bad is 45 suggesting now that her brother, Eric Prince, run a private army in Afghanistan to replace the U.S. military. Two bad people, one bad president and no thought to the process.

I know I repeat myself. It’s because I just can’t understand individuals accepting the insidious happenings of 45 and his band of crooks. However I look for the good in the man, he stops me cold with his childish, dangerous tweets and his lies.

He still brags about his success in North Korea and Russia. Nothing could be further from the truth; yet our brightest and best can’t get him to listen to their verifiable concerns. All of our problems, as Americans, today lie at the feet of Donald J. Trump, who proudly believes he’s the brightest, smartest, wealthiest man alive. As for those who agree with him — I still have air and weeds in my backyard that I’ll sell them cheap. The best air! The best weeds!

For his supporters, I only one question that’s never been answered: Why won’t he release his tax returns.

I wonder if it’s because it would show how much control Russia has over him. Amen.