This is why you don't acquiesce to facsist threats...
If you fold, they win for free, and can claim that it's a coincidence you do what they wanted.
This morherfucker was posting memes on social media laughing about how it worked and had been intentionally planned. Now he wants to act like it was just an offhand comment.
You have to fight every fucking battle, no matter how pedantic, how pointless, or how much plausible deniability they have.
Don't give them a fucking inch for free, because if it's easy they'll keep doing it. If every inch is a battle, it runs down the clock and makes them want to just fuck off and go golfing instead.