Is gold still there at Fort Knox vaults? Now, Trump wants to know

Is gold still there at Fort Knox?

That’s the question on many minds — including, apparently, US President Donald Trump.

“We’re gonna go into Fort Knox to make sure the gold is there. If the gold is not there, we will be very upset,” Trump told reporters, underscoring the enduring fascination — and controversy — around the America's fabled gold reserves.

Wrapped in mystery

Fort Knox, a US Army installation in Kentucky, is synonymous with America’s gold holdings.

Adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, it is officially reported to house over 147 million troy ounces of gold, making it the largest gold reserve in the country.

Yet the facility has long been shrouded in mystery and the subject of wild conspiracy theories.

Elon Musk has recently added fuel to the debate.

As the Commander-in-Chief of the US military, President Trump holds the ultimate VIP pass to Fort Knox — an all-access ticket to America's most secure and mysterious vault.

Now, responding to persistent rumours questioning the integrity of Fort Knox’s gold, Musk suggested a radical solution.

“It would be cool to do a live video walkthrough of Fort Knox!” he tweeted, proposing that a livestream audit could finally lay the controversy to rest.

He continued: “Who is confirming that gold wasn’t stolen from Fort Knox? Maybe it’s there, maybe it’s not. That gold is owned by the American public! We want to know if it’s still there,” directly echoing the sentiments of some skeptical voices.

This sentiment resonated with US Senator Mike Lee, who humorously recounted his own attempts to visit Fort Knox.

“As a U.S. senator I’ve tried repeatedly to get into Fort Knox,” Lee posted on Twitter in a now-viral thread. The conversation unfolded as follows:

Fort Knox: “You can’t come to Fort Knox.”

Me: “Why?”

Fort Knox: “It’s a military installation.”

Me: “I’m a senator; I go to military bases all the time.”

Fort Knox: “You still can’t come. Because, you can’t.”

Public curiosity

Such exchanges highlight the longstanding tension between public curiosity and the strict security protocols at Fort Knox.

Musk’s playful yet pointed commentary didn’t stop there. In another tweet, he wrote, “It would be cool for the public to see what so much gold looks like. It is theirs, after all! Hopefully, the storage facility has above zero style.”

His call for transparency strikes a chord with those who believe that the American people deserve to know the full story behind the country’s substantial gold reserves.

A brief history of Fort Knox

The history of Fort Knox adds another layer to the intrigue.

Gold shipments to the depository began in 1937, and at one point, the facility reportedly stored as much as 649.6 million ounces of gold.

While today’s official figures suggest a lower total, the legacy of Fort Knox as a secure vault for national treasures — and, at times, important American documents such as the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution during World War II — remains undiminished.

Despite the buzz generated by these modern-day calls for an audit, Fort Knox operates under a strict no-visitors policy. The secrecy surrounding its operations only deepens the public’s curiosity and speculation.

Whether through presidential inquiries or viral tweets, the debate over Fort Knox’s gold shows no signs of slowing down. For now, the gold remains in its storied vaults, waiting for a day when its secrets might finally be revealed to the world.