It's a version of a motte and bailey argument (named after a medieval castle defense system):

> "...philosopher Nicholas Shackel coined the term 'motte-and-bailey' to describe the rhetorical strategy in which a debater retreats to an uncontroversial claim when challenged on a controversial one."

-- https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/the-motte-and-the-bailey-a...