Over the weekend, President Donald Trump took to social media to announce his intention to visit Fort Knox, Kentucky, to verify the presence of the gold reserves that are widely believed to be stored at the military facility.
“We’re going to check Fort Knox to confirm the gold is there,” Trump stated in a video shared on X.
As reported by the U.S. Mint, the last time anyone other than authorized personnel inspected the gold vault was during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s visit in 1943—82 years ago.
“Did you know that? We’re going to Fort Knox. Are you aware of that?” the president remarked to reporters in the online clip.
“We hope everything is fine with Fort Knox, but we’re going to the legendary Fort Knox to ensure the gold is present,” he added.
A reporter inquired, “Where would the gold have gone?”
“If the gold isn’t there, we’re going to be very upset,” Trump responded.
According to the United States Bullion Repository, as of Monday, there are 147.3 million ounces of gold valued at approximately $435 billion, with gold priced at $2,950.01 per ounce in the markets.
Since 1937, the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox has been responsible for safeguarding the nation’s gold reserves, becoming a symbol of security. In addition to storing gold, Fort Knox also functions as the U.S. Army’s Human Resources Command Center and hosts the Army’s largest annual training event each summer, as reported by the Economic Times.
“We’re going to open the doors and inspect Fort Knox,” Trump said during a speech to Republican governors on Thursday evening. “I don’t want to find it empty,” he added.
Located about 35 miles south of Louisville, the Army post spans 109,000 acres across Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties in Kentucky.
Originally established as Camp Knox during World War I, the site served as an artillery training center, according to the Army post’s website. It became a permanent installation in 1932 and has been known as Fort Knox ever since.
The first shipment of gold arrived at Fort Knox in 1937, with the 1st Cavalry Regiment assigned to guard the highly secure delivery.
With the onset of World War II in Europe, the U.S. Army established the Armored Force at Fort Knox, where thousands of soldiers were trained in tank warfare. For nearly 80 years, the post was famously referred to as the “Home of Cavalry and Armor.”
According to the U.S. Mint, only small amounts of gold have been removed from Fort Knox during routine audits to test its purity. Aside from these samples, no gold has been moved in or out of the depository for many years.
The Fort Knox depository is one of the most secure facilities globally, with its exact structure and security measures known only to a select few. No single person has complete knowledge of the procedures required to access the vault.
Publicly available information indicates that the facility was built in 1936 using 16,000 cubic feet of granite, 4,200 cubic yards of concrete, 750 tons of reinforcing steel, and 670 tons of structural steel. The depository is heavily guarded and has only broken its strict no-visitors policy three times in its history.
In 1974, the U.S. Mint allowed a group of journalists and a congressional delegation to inspect the gold reserves at Fort Knox, a visit authorized by the Treasury Secretary in response to ongoing rumors about the gold’s removal.
Since then, the vaults have been opened only once more. In 2017, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin toured the facility with Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and several congressional representatives.
Current Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has expressed willingness to arrange an inspection for any senator interested in viewing the vaults, as noted by the Economic Times.
