Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. President Trump spoke to reporters at the White House yesterday discussing a range of topics.

He's again expressing doubt about NATO's mutual defense pact.

NPR's Franco-Ordonias reports Trump said the same thing when he was previously in office.

A week ago, Trump said he would support the key provision of NATO that requires members to

come to the defense of another if attacked. But now he's told reporters at the White House that the

U.S. may not defend allies if they don't spend enough on their militaries.

Well, I think it's common sense, right? If they don't pay, I'm not going to defend him.

No, I'm not going to defend him. I got into a lot of heat when I said that.

He said, oh, he's violating NATO.

Trump has regularly sent mixed signals about U.S. support for NATO.

He long pushed allies in the alliance to increase their spending on defense,

charging that the U.S. should not have to carry such a high financial burden of European security.

Franco Ordonez. NPR News, the White House.

In separate remarks, Trump said he told his cabinet that they are in charge of staff reductions, not billionaire Elon Musk.

And peers Bobby Allen reports Trump seems to be reigning in Musk's authority.

Since Trump took office, Musk has been exerting wide and unusual control over federal agencies.

In his capacity as a special government employee in the White House,

Musk has pushed the termination of thousands of federal workers and the near total dissolution of some agencies.

In his big speech to Congress this week, Trump praised Musk for doing it.

But now Trump is telling his cabinet and other officials, they are in charge of policy and firings, not Musk.

Elon has been really teaching everybody about the numbers that you can do.

But what I want is I want the numbers, but I also want to keep the good people.

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