Need help finding a saying

The saying was 2 words like Malicious Compliance. It was about how whenever someone is in the power to say something was a joke or disregard their statement.

Guy 1: John is horrible as basketball (How he genuinely feels)

Guy 2: John has won 3 championships and is literally one of the best

Guy 1: yeah it was just a joke (Feels threatened by his argument and is able to disregard what he previously said because he’s in a position where guy 2 doesn’t know his intentions)