It could be genuine admiration on Trump’s part for a leader who has “strongman” attributes he likes — and official powers he envies.

Or it could be genuine gratitude for Russia’s social media campaign to push the 2016 election to Trump. Even if Trump is telling the truth when he says he didn’t know about that at the time, he certainly knows now.

But there’s another element to all this that creates the nagging sense it’s something more than admiration or gratitude.

Ponder what we all know so well about this president’s personality: his incessant chest-thumping, his need to always look tougher than the next guy, his utter refusal to ever bend for any adversary. Except one.

Think about the kinds of criticism Trump endures regarding Russia: that he’s weak, that someone else (Putin) is stronger than he is. It’s the one kind of criticism Trump’s fragile ego can’t abide. Except in this one instance.

Think of all the world leaders, including allies, whom Trump has savaged any time it served his personal needs. It would serve his needs greatly to criticize Putin. One good Trumpian tongue-lashing would put to rest this “weakness” theme that has to be driving him crazy. And yet he won’t do it.