Elon Musk Joins President Trump to Sign Executive Orders in the Oval Office. Photo by Andrew ... [+] Harnik/Getty Images.

Elon Musk is as much of a showman as he is engineer, and his idea about having his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) livestream a visit to Fort Knox is yet another example.

Elon Musk is as much of a showman as he is engineer, and his idea about having his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) livestream a visit to Fort Knox is yet another example. The plan, at least according to what has been floated in the media, is to roll up to America’s most famous gold vault and show the public exactly what’s (or isn’t) behind those colossal steel doors.

Some might call it a publicity stunt, but plenty of Americans, grappling with rampant government corruption, inflation, and growing distrust in institutions, find themselves oddly intrigued. A live unveiling of the national gold stash would be quite the spectacle.

The timing couldn’t be more apt, given the shadows lingering over the international gold market. The Bank of England is facing significant challenges in fulfilling physical gold withdrawal requests, with delays extending to 4–8 weeks instead of the usual 2–3 days, raising concerns about the actual availability of its gold reserves. The strain stems from a surge in demand for gold deliveries, exacerbated by large shipments to U.S. COMEX warehouses and global political uncertainties. Critics suggest the Bank may have engaged in fractional reserve practices, lending or leasing gold it does not physically hold, creating a liquidity shortfall. These delays, coupled with vague justifications such as logistical constraints, have led to speculation that the Bank is scrambling to reacquire gold to meet obligations. If unresolved, this situation could undermine trust in the Bank of England as a global custodian and destabilize confidence in the broader financial system.

The price of gold has been on a roller coaster in 2025, reaching an all-time high of $2,956.22 per ounce in February, driven by strong demand as a hedge against inflation, geopolitical tensions, and central bank accumulation. After rising over 25% in 2024, gold has already gained 10.35% this year and is projected to surpass $3,000 per ounce by mid-2025, with some forecasts suggesting it could reach $3,200–$3,300 later in the year. Analysts attribute this bullish trend to declining interest rates, increased ETF inflows, and global economic uncertainties, which have reinforced gold’s safe-haven appeal.

Beyond sheer entertainment value, there’s a deeper question: no matter what they find in Fort Knox, will anyone care?

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What Happened in 1971?

It’s possible that many will, but that the concern will be borne out of ignorance of how the dollar actually works. Many Americans still assume that their dollars are tied directly to gold. Not long ago, I spoke to a friend who is literally a rocket scientist, and was baffled to learn that the dollar hasn't been redeemable for gold since 1971.

That year, President Nixon “temporarily” suspended gold convertibility, effectively abolishing the Bretton Woods system. This moment, known as the Nixon Shock, pivoted the world from a gold-pegged monetary order to the free-floating fiat currencies we all use today. More than half a century later, we can look back and notice dozens of fascinating correlations between this decoupling and fundamental changes to American life. Even still, people either forget or never learn that their greenbacks are not claims on any physical commodity.

Yet the federal government still owns about 8,133 tons of gold—by far the largest state-owned hoard in the world. Which raises the question: Why?

One answer is historical inertia. The U.S. built up gold in the twentieth century under Presidents from FDR (who famously confiscated private gold in 1933) to Eisenhower, under whom holdings soared to around 20,000 metric tons. Later presidencies saw major outflows or sales. Still, thousands of tons remain on the books. There is enough gold held by the federal government that if it vanished tomorrow, the global markets would register a shock unlike anything we’ve seen in modern finance.

Even though it doesn’t back the dollar, America’s gold serves multiple strategic roles. Central banks worldwide still view gold as the ultimate backup plan, and for the U.S., the sheer volume of bullion may afford a psychological buffer. In times of extreme economic stress, gold reserves can be used to stabilize currencies or provide collateral. In fact, there has never been a fiat currency that was not pegged to gold at first. Even though the dollar is not redeemable for gold any more, it would not exist today had it not been redeevable for gold in the past.

It’s been decades since