Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: During his first year in office, President Trump used NATO as a punching bag. He portrayed the members of the American-led security alliance in Europe as deadbeats freeloading on U.S. defense spending. It took until Trump's second trip to Europe last July for him to reaffirm America's commitment to defend fellow members if they come under attack. But what President Trump says and what the U.S. military does on the ground are two different things. NPR's Frank Langfitt reports from Brussels. FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: During his visit here in May, President Trump criticized NATO allies for not meeting the guideline of spending at least 2 percent of their gross domestic products on defense. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States. LANGFITT: In fact, a number of NATO countries are spending more these days, and President Trump took credit for it in his
↧