He didn’t “back down”, he gave free Blue to people who said they did not want the product as a gamble that with a little bit of time both their statements and the coverage of him comping it will fade from immediate awareness, but the checkmark still be on the accounts giving a message of endorsement of the offering (also, this article is conflating several different things: giving normal “Blue Check” status to some critics, and the creation of “Yellow Check” verified organizations and “Grey Check” verified “government or multilateral organizations”.) It is also, a gamble that any consequences for the Lanham Act violation inherent in the false endorsement will be sufficiently delayed and of insufficient magnitude to offset the benefit received.