His statement is seen as an attempt to 'climb down' [='back away'] from the strong denial he made yesterday.
a 'climbing plant' [=a plant that attaches itself to something, such as a wall, as it grows up it]
The players 'climbed' into their uniforms [=put on their uniforms] and headed for the field.
(..) peripheral breakdowns. Now, we identified some problems with humidity control... ...and regained homeostasis. Despite our corrections, the breakdown rate continued to climb. Then Medieval World began to have trouble. Now we're seeing more Western World breakdowns. And there's a clear pattern here (..)1973 Westworld