US president Donald Trump has avoided mentioning the legal troubles of two former close associates – Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen – during the opening of a campaign rally in West Virginia. Instead, Trump focused on illegal immigration, building a wall on the Mexican border and NFL players' response to the national anthem. Hours earlier, Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul was convicted of eight financial crimes and Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, pleaded guilty to fraud and campaign finance offences.