In a weekend exchange at X, Elon Musk was nudged to extend his cost -saving government -efficiency department to one of the most protected places in the United States: Fort Knox, the US Army installation is said to hold 4580 tonnes of gold. The discussion, which raised votes ranging from the Bitcoin community to the sitting legislature, has re-entered decades old questions about transparency and actual content in the US gold vault.
Musk sparkles the conversation
It all started when Financial News Aggregator Zerohedge (@zerohedge) tagged Musk, which indicates: “It would be good if @elon musk could take a look in Fort Knox just to make sure the 4580 tonnes of us gold are there. The last time someone looked was 50 years since 1974. “
The tweet, viewed by 1.9 million users and liked over 59,000 times, got Musk to ask: “Sure it is reviewed at least every year?” Zerohedge replied quickly: “It should be. It’s not. “
From there, the online community swelled with reactions, speculation and suggestions. Questions about the latest extensive examination of Fort Knox depot have resurrected, along with persistent rumors that the stash has been sold off or otherwise lost.
Not long after, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), 62, went in the conversation with a brief approval of a formal inspection and commented: “Nope. Let’s do it, “In response to Musk’s Musings. Paul’s father, former rep. Ron Paul (R-TEXAS), has a long history of demanding greater openness around US gold reserves. Already in the 1970s, Ron Paul raised concern that the gold may not be so safe – or as abundant – as long thought.
The recent known visits to Fort Knox Seems to be in 1974, when journalists and congress members were allowed to enter, and in 2017, when the facility shortly opened its doors for the former Ministry of Finance Steve Mnuchin. Despite this, there is no publicly available register of a complete, comprehensive audit in recent decades, which runs conspiracy theories that the gold may not be in Fort Knox at all.
Estimates indicate that if the vault really has 4,580 tonnes of gold, it would be worth about $ 425 billion to current market rates.
Consequences for bitcoin
Fired of skepticism about Fort Knox holding quickly entered a major conversation about Bitcoin’s verifiability. Nate Geraci, chairman of the ETF store and co-founder of the ETF Institute, commented How BTC could eliminate doubt about ownership. “If there was only a technical solution that would enable someone to independently verify the ownership of an asset,” said Geraci, leaving, “BTW, if for some reason Knox doesn’t actually have the gold … It’s absolute game on BTC. IMO, the gold is there. But at least now everyone can appreciate real -time and idioped verification of asset
Others echoed that feeling. Dennis Porter, CEO and founder of Satoshi Act Fund, emphasized Bitcoin’s 24 -hour transparency: “Another reason why states (and the federal government) should prefer Bitcoin instead of gold. The public can review government bitcoin-Holding 24/7/365. The last comprehensive review of our gold reserves happened … over 70 years ago. “
At the same time, the American Senator Cynthia Lummis, a long -lasting bitcoin advocate that acts as The Senate Bank Understanding Committee President of Digital Assets Under US President Donald Trump, underlined The necessity of a modernized strategy: “Bitcoin fixes this. A bitcoin reserve can be reviewed at any time around the clock with a basic computer. It’s time to upgrade our reserves. “
Some took the scenario to imaginative extremes and predicted potential results if a Fort Knox audit revealed significantly less gold than is officially reported. Walker, hosting the bitcoin podcast, published a detailed hypothetical chain of events, which began with an Elon Musk-inspired audit, followed by a discovery that Fort Knox has “less than 500 tonnes of gold.”
From there, he speculated an executive order can be issued by Trump to form a strategic Bitcoin reserve, which triggered international competition for Bitcoin while undermining Gold’s market status. At the end of Walker’s sweeping scenario, “China and Russia realize that Trump got the jump on them and began to try to acquire bitcoin,” which leads to a collapse in Gold’s value relatively bitcoin – while vocal gold advocates Peter Schiff becomes, as Walker put it, “allowed on a mental hospital. “
Here’s what’s going to happen:
1. Elon is pushing Trump to review Fort Knox.
2. Revision reveals that there are less than 500 tonnes of gold.
3. Trump realizes that China and Russia have much more gold than the United States, but very little bitcoin.
4. Trump issues EO for strategic Bitcoin reserve, with reference to … pic.twitter.com/hqrak7vmj1– Walker⚡ (@walkeriarica) February 16, 2025
Eric Balchunas, a Bloomberg ETF analyst, responded to Walker’s bold prophecy with measured skepticism and asked: “What prediction. What % chance would you give of this actually happen? “
Whether these audits will be realized remains unclear. From this writing, there has been no official confirmation from the US Treasury or the Ministry of Defense to open Fort Knox for an extensive public review. A Fort Knox audit can still have enormous consequences for the gold price and also potentially for digital gold, bitcoin.
At press time, BTC traded at $ 96 383.
