The New York Times, the "paper of record" for America, has become the New Fake Times, especially regarding anything and everything President Trump.  Trump could cure cancer and invent a flying car and the Times would find his actions racist, sexist, or somehow supporting white supremacists.

After the Charlottesville riots and mayhem, one of the Times' opinion columnists, Paul Krugman, penned a column entitled, "When the President is Un-American."  Strong words.  Based on Trump condemning "[h]atred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides."  Not to Mr. Krugman's liking as Trump didn't single out the white supremacists.

Trump in essence said that "all violence matters" rather than simply "white supremacist violence matters," and that was the cardinal sin energizing the left.  It also woke up the NeverTrump Republicans, who can't seem to get excited about repealing Obamacare, cutting taxes, or building the wall, but certainly had plenty to say about Trump and Charlottesville.

Krugman's interpretation was that Trump's remarks "[c]onfirm what has become increasingly obvious: The current president of the United States isn't a real American."  And in Times fashion, he also managed to get in a dig at supposed Trump-Russia collusion by saying "[w]hatever role foreign influence may have played and may still be playing."  Was he ever concerned about "foreign influence" in the Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton campaign?  Or that Hillary wasn't a real American?

Will Krugman be criticized for calling the president "un-American"?  Don't hold your breath.

Remember the outrage when candidate Mitt Romney claimed, "The Obama administration fundamentally does not believe in the American Experiment"?  Or when he said, "I just don't think that President Obama understands America"?  Far-left Mother Jones ran a long piece condemning Romney's comments.

Closer to home for me, Congressman Mike Coffman, at a 2012 fundraiser, was blunter about President Obama: "But I do know this, that in his heart, he's not an American. He's just not an American."  Howls of outrage from the local media, leading to Rep. Coffman's retreat and apology.

Will Paul Krugman or the New York Times be held to a similar standard?  Or will this be another example of "if the left didn't have double standards, they would have no standards"?  Just as talk of Trump's assassination or beheadings are edgy and clever to the left, so will be accusations of him being "un-American."  I rhetorically ask: How would such talk be perceived if a Democrat was in the White House?

Brian C Joondeph, M.D., MPS is a Denver-based physician and writer.  Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.