Inside Fort Knox Revealed, According to Witnesses as Trump Suggests America’s Gold Could be Gone: ‘Maybe Someone Stole’ it
President Donald Trump has announced plans to visit the heavily guarded Fort Knox gold repository, raising eyebrows with his suggestion that the nation’s gold reserves might have vanished.
“We’re actually going to Fort Knox to see if the gold is there, because maybe somebody stole the gold. Tons of gold,” Trump stated in comments that have sparked renewed interest in the secretive facility.
The last significant public viewing of the gold repository occurred in 1974, when a group of 120 journalists and photographers were granted rare access following persistent rumors about missing gold. Dave Ganz, who participated in that tour, described the experience as “nothing short of amazing” in a 2009 article documenting the rare glimpse inside America’s gold vault.
The Fort Knox Bullion Depository represents a marvel of security engineering, constructed with “16,000 cubic feet of granite, 4,200 cubic yards of concrete, 750 tons of reinforcing steel, and 670 tons of structural steel,” according to Ganz’s detailed account. The facility’s construction alone speaks to the extreme measures taken to protect its valuable contents.
Prior to that 1974 visit, reports indicate the only non-authorized personnel to view the vault was President Franklin D. Roosevelt during a wartime visit in 1943.
The President’s remarks come as part of a pattern of questioning established institutions and conventional wisdom. Trump has now turned his attention to one of America’s most secure facilities and the symbol of its financial strength.
Tesla CEO and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk has joined the conversation, adding his own speculative comments about the repository. During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Musk questioned whether the gold reserves are authentic, asking, “A live tour of Fort Knox would be awesome… is the gold there or not? They say it is — is it real? Or did somebody spray paint some lead?”
His comments have amplified public curiosity about what truly lies behind the heavily fortified walls.
The repository currently holds $147.3 million in gold reserves, according to the U.S. Mint, though access to verify this claim has been notoriously restricted for decades.
The facility has become almost mythical due to its inaccessibility, with even high-ranking government officials reporting difficulties gaining entry to the complex.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has reportedly tried “repeatedly” to inspect the vault, only to be denied access by the U.S. Mint. This reluctance to permit visits, even from elected officials, has only intensified speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding the gold repository.
Other lawmakers have expressed similar curiosity about the contents of Fort Knox. “I assume the gold is there, but it’s certainly reasonable for people to check,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told Daily Mail, adding, “It’d be interesting.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) approached the topic with humor, referencing the classic James Bond film when he quipped, “Maybe Goldfinger did it?”
The outlet added that Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) suggested there might be more pressing priorities, indicating he would place this issue “lower on the totem pole” of national concerns, even while acknowledging, “We need to look, I guess.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined a delegation led by then-Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to inspect the facility in 2017, per Daily Mail. Mnuchin, known for once posing with U.S. currency alongside his wife Louise Linton, remarked at the time, “I assume the gold is still there. It would really be quite a movie if we walked in and there was no gold.”
McConnell’s assessment of the gold’s value appeared to significantly understate its worth, as he claimed, “It’s not even the annual funding level for some of our large departments in the federal government,” despite the gold being valued at approximately $186 billion during that visit.
Security measures include vault doors affixed with sealing wax, special tape and signed cards designed to reveal tampering. Daily Mail highlighted that during the 1974 tour, aircraft maintained constant aerial surveillance, underscoring the extraordinary security protocols in place.
When addressing rumors of an “escape tunnel” within the repository, guards eventually confirmed the existence of a lower-level tunnel after some initial reluctance. However, after inspection, Ganz reported the conclusion that this tunnel “was not a viable means for anyone to try to remove substantial quantities of gold” as “the escape could only be made outside the vault, not the building itself.”
Former Rep. Clair W. Burgener (R-CA) expressed confidence in the facility’s security, telling journalists, “Personally, I’m convinced that only a conspiracy or a military invasion could get the gold out of here.”
The 1974 tour itself was reportedly quite elaborate, with the journalist describing buses carrying the press contingent along “Bullion Boulevard” to access the facility. The vault that Ganz and others toured was described as being the size of a “comfortable four room apartment,” providing rare insight into the physical dimensions of this closely guarded space.
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