Frustration, irritation and even a certain level of — "Oh, no, what now!?" — caused me to throw up my hands a few weeks back and stop the practice of explaining, defending and deciphering the meaning of what our president says.

It became too heavy a burden. I'm a conservative talk radio host, but I’m done with radio conversations that start by me saying, "What the President meant to say was …" or “What I think Trump wanted to say was that...”

Big blocks of my radio program were relegated to justifying certain questionable remarks or comments that dominated that week’s news cycle. Donald J Trump is a grown man, and the leader of the free world, and at times he needs to choose his words more carefully. He needs to stand up, own what he says and be accountable.

The news media is correct pointing out misinformation and inconsistencies and should continue to do so. But there is a difference between fair and ethical reporting and creating an artificial platform designed to systematically corrupt this president’s message.

When reporters move from reporting to spin, people lose faith in the news media and it rips at the fabric of this country. Let me provide a few examples of where the media crossed that line:

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[naviga:li]In June 2015, in his speech announcing his candidacy for president, Trump said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Many of the people migrating to this country do so with the best of intentions, but like it or not, hiding among them

are criminals. The media keeps suggesting Trump said they’re all criminals. He didn’t.[/naviga:li][naviga:li]When James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, killing one and injuring 19, the president placed partial blame for the attack on the counter-protesters, condemning “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides.” Yes, a stronger condemnation of the KKK was in order, but there

were violent protesters on both sides. Antifa thugs were carrying an arsenal of weaponry and went toe to toe with the white supremacists.[/naviga:li][naviga:li]Five days were wasted on the ridiculous throw-away line about Baltimore being, "Rat infested.” How is that term racially unjust? Parts of Baltimore

are rat infested. Policies by leaders in that city have for decades contributed to the squalor in many of its neighborhoods.[/naviga:li][naviga:li]Who could forget his explosive quote about the S**thole countries? That statement was instantly corrupted into a hate-filled racial attack. Most everyone reading this has passed something condemned or falling apart and called it a s**t-hole. The president should strive for more eloquent delivery and a better choice of vocabulary, but he was clearly referencing places on the planet that are the least hospitable. Because many of these nations have black leadership should not automatically condemn someone for speaking the truth.[/naviga:li][naviga:li]Last week Trump said, “Let’s buy Greenland,” not “Bomb Greenland.” Yet headlines likened it to a potential occupation or invasion by a conquering monarch.[/naviga:li][/naviga:ul]

The United States was built on wars and land acquisitions. The Revolutionary War gave us the 13 colonies. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with France. In 1818, a treaty with United Kingdom established a new frontier as far as the Rocky Mountains. The Adams-Onis Treaty negotiated with Spain in 1819 gave us Florida. The last acquisition from Mexico was the Gadsden Purchase, which incorporated the southern part of New Mexico in 1853. And let's not forget on March 30, 1867, the United States reached an agreement to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

The idea of land purchases and treaty agreements is certainly not unprecedented. In 1946 the United Starts proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland.

Greenland isn't really all that green. It’s the world’s largest island covering over 800,000 square miles. It lacks any contemporary infrastructure and has no major highways or roads. Its economy certainly isn't rocking Wall Street. Most of its inhabitants sustain themselves on shrimp and fish exports — with Denmark providing a $591 million annual subsidy (approximately $10,000 per person).

They should be begging us to buy!

The trade-off would not only be lucrative for the Greenlanders, it would give us a vital foothold in the Arctic Circle and provide the United States with natural resources that include iron ore, lead, zinc, diamonds, gold, uranium and oil.

The point is, the idea was not absurd, but that was the news media’s narrative. Call out the president when he is wrong, but don’t begin the reporting with the assumption everything he does is wrong.

Lee Elci is the morning host for 94.9 News Now radio, a station that provides "Stimulating Talk" with a conservative bent.