WASHINGTON — While flying back to Washington aboard Air Force One on Wednesday night, a reporter asked President Donald Trump whether Elon Musk would pursue budget cuts at the Pentagon.

His response might be confusing to anyone who hasn’t spent the last several days monitoring Musk’s account on X.

Trump said Musk would be looking at Fort Knox, the legendary depository for American gold reserves in Kentucky.

Why? “To make sure the gold is there,” Trump said.

Another reporter seemed puzzled. Where would the gold have gone?

“If the gold isn’t there, we’re going to be very upset,” Trump said.

Musk, the world’s richest man, who was traveling with the Republican president aboard Air Force One, has spent days posting about this issue.

“Who is confirming that gold wasn’t stolen from Fort Knox?” he wrote Monday. “Maybe it’s there, maybe it’s not.”

“LIVESTREAM IT,” someone commented. Musk responded with two fire emojis.

Musk and Trump could ask Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the issue.

Earlier Wednesday, he was asked about the conspiracy theory by Dan O’Donnell, a talk show host in Wisconsin.

“We do an audit every year,” Bessent said. “All the gold is present and accounted for.”

“This is something that people are apparently very concerned about,” O’Donnell said. “Elon Musk has been promising to verify that the gold is still there.”

Bessent said he would be happy to arrange an inspection for any senator who is interested.