They ransacked federal agencies and axed jobs together, but US President Donald Trump’s expanding tariffs are apparently too much for even right-hand man Elon Musk.

So much so that Musk privately appealed to Trump to reverse the market-tanking measures in an “attempted intervention,” The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

But Musk’s alleged entreaty apparently didn’t work because Trump continued to saber-rattle on the trade war front, threatening to tack on 50% tariffs for Chinese goods.

Musk has expressed misgivings about the sweeping tariffs on his X platform but aimed his criticism at the likes of Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who is behind the strategy.

The Post dubbed Musk’s disagreement with the president as their “highest-profile disagreement” since Trump named him the leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

On Monday, Musk struck a somewhat conciliatory tone on the social platform he owns. He shared a post from a US trade rep that supported the “historic” tariffs and listed “unfair” trade practices of exporters. “Good points,” Musk wrote.