go soft

Why does Mr. Biden go soft on China?

They also know that if they go soft, some conservatives who support gun rights will abandon them.

Even with Taiwan’s looming election, “if the Chinese Communist Party faces what it believes is a violation of its very core fundamental positions or interests, then it seems it won’t go soft on Taiwan,” said Huang Kwei-Bo, a professor of international relations at the National Chengchi University in Taipei who is a former deputy secretary-general of the Nationalist Party.

The Fed must choose between potentially exacerbating problems in the financial markets and seeming to go soft on inflation.

The sides go soft, and the flavor can edge into bitter.