Trump vows to 'make sure' gold is at Fort Knox. Treasury Secretary says it's accounted for.
President Donald Trump promised to investigate Fort Knox in Kentucky after Elon Musk made calls to audit gold at the military base.
Answering reporters' questions about the Department of Government Efficiency on Air Force One Wednesday, Trump repeatedly brought up checking on Fort Knox.
"We're going to go to Fort Knox, the fabled Fort Knox, to make sure the gold is there. If the gold isn't there, we're going to be very upset," Trump said, per a C-SPAN recording.
Musk has been fanning flames of an unfounded conspiracy that gold might be gone from Fort Knox. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told iHeart host Dan O'Donnell Wednesday, "all the gold is present and accounted for," adding that the department conducts an audit every year.
The U.S. Treasury Department did not immediately respond to Paste BN's request for comment
What is the Fort Knox base?
Fort Knox is a military installation in Kentucky about 40 miles south of Louisville, known for holding more than 147 million ounces of the U.S.' gold reserves.
The base has previously also stored several historic rarities, from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. It also hosts thousands of soldiers, contractors, civilian employees and family members.
The Kentucky depository spans 108,955 acres across Hardin, Meade and Bullitt counties.
The U.S. Mint says there are 147.4 million ounces of gold at the Fort Knox depository, more than any other base.
The U.S. owns 8,133.46 metric tons of gold, according to the World Gold Council, more than any other nation and holds more than twice of Germany's stash, at 3,351.53.
Is there gold missing from Fort Knox?
There is no evidence to suggest gold is missing from Fort Knox base, though access to the military base is tightly limited to authorized personnel only.
The last reported audit at the Fort Knox reserve was in September 1974, when several congressional representatives told the public the supply remained intact, according to the U.S. Mint. Gerald R. Ford, who was president at the time of the visit, allowed a batch of journalists to attend.
"The Congressional inspection adheres to the new open door policy of the government announced by President Ford," then-director of the Mint Mary Brooks said in a news release. "By also inviting the press to witness the Congressional inspection, the Mint is clearing away cobwebs and re-assuring the public that their gold is intact and safe."
The last tour of the Fort Knox base was on Aug. 24, 2017 during the first Trump administration. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and a few Congressional representatives entered the base in the first visit to non-authorized personnel in over 40 years, according to the U.S. Mint.
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at Paste BN. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.