Were we — the state of North Dakota — seriously obligated to wait for Donald Trump to finish bungling the initial response to the Novel Coronavirus before we — the state of North Dakota — acted aggressively to combat the virus?

The necessary information was public, and the experts were screaming and blowing air horns at policymakers since January.

Was any state required to stand down until mid-March?

Evidently not. Trump currently prefers that the states take the lead to save their own. After disregarding the early warnings, Trump is now satisfied to play President on TV and focus on his re-election. He’s made quite the spectacle.

During his afternoon matinees, DT acts like he’s showing a possible buyer a vacant cheesy apartment at Trump Towers. “Oh, that? The countertops are supposed to be loose. It’s an alternative technique. Actually, and most people don’t know this, but I invented shoddy workmanship. Don’t worry about it. I did a fantastic job and accept no responsibility if you get crushed by a rogue kitchen cabinet. That’s just gravity. The fake news can’t fault me for any mishaps, the human scum.”

So let’s put the Blonde Bomber on mute and swiftly move on with a leader who won’t sell North Dakotans out for a cheese sandwich.

And can we clarify the distinction now, please? Who’s in charge of this N.D. pandemic? It’s urgent.

Currently, Gov. Doug Burgum is the guy. I didn’t vote for him — his endorsement of Trump was a knee to the groin — but he’s light years ahead of Trump in the “stable genius” niche. Plus, Bill Gates is on Burgum’s speed dial, and well, he’s an authority on pandemics and influential people take his collect calls.

If we’re willing to throw the rest of the world off our balance sheets, we — the state of North Dakota — can certainly get a bit selfish about death.

As far as we know, which is not much, we’re already screwed. However, conceivably there is still time to mitigate the destruction further than what social distancing accomplishes.

Test, test, test and track contacts. Surveil. State scientists know the methods. We — the state of North Dakota — happen to employ some people who know what they’re doing. Trump barely responded when we still had a chance to prevent the worst and then it took Tucker Carlson, Smarmy Carlson’s squeak of a little brother, to slap him awake. That’s what they dub “a tell” in reality circles.

Our president is purposely acting against the best interests of the people, and most of us know it. More people will live if states defy Trump’s wishes to “open” the United States by Easter, or whenever, against the advice of experts. It’s best to ignore him altogether.

Still, many mildly perceptive people voted for him, which is not surprising. These thrillseekers knew with certainty in their hearts that Trump would fail when the country really needed a leader — but what a rush. He might get us all killed but maybe he won’t. It’s like riding in a rollercoaster with no guard rails or playing Russian roulette. Let’s spin the cylinder and see how crazy things can get.

Wish granted.

As for those who absolutely believe the lies of the president, they are more likely to be the ones to disregard warnings and spread COVID-19. The ultra gullible need to have their truth barometers recalibrated if possible and be bombarded with massive doses of factual information for everybody’s sake.

For people like Sen. Kevin Cramer, Rep. Kelly Cramer Armstrong and the “base” hardliners who keep insisting that the Washington Post, New York Times and other reputable news outlets allow their finest journalists to sit down and pound out fiction about Trump, it may be too late.

Less gullible people will have to ask themselves, who are you going to believe? Krusty the Clown or Doug Burgum?