Elon Musk made a statement on Monday about his intention to look into Fort Knox, the U.S. gold reserve known for its high security.
“Looking for the gold at Fort Knox …” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform.
He also shared a post from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who mentioned that he had been denied access to Fort Knox, a military base in Kentucky.
“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,” Musk added.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also encouraged Musk to investigate further. Paul responded on X with “nope. Let’s do it,” after Musk asked whether the reserve gets reviewed every year.
Paul later spoke to Fox News about the need for more transparency regarding Fort Knox and its gold.
“I think some of them may not think it needs to be audited all the time, but I think the more sunlight, the better, more transparency, the better. And also, it brings attention to the fact that gold still has value and implicitly, not explicitly, but implicitly, gold still gives value to the dollar,” Paul said.
Fort Knox holds over 147 million troy ounces of gold, more than any other U.S. location, according to the Treasury Department. The site has a strict “no visitors” policy, though members of Congress were allowed to inspect the gold in 1974. Before that, President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited in 1943, according to the U.S. Mint.
Musk’s interest in Fort Knox is part of his ongoing efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which works on improving government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Education Department.
