consequence culture

Apparently about five years ago Trump was very much opposed to cancel culture and in favour of free speech.  But now he has discovered that free speech involves people saying derogatory things about HIM.  Worse they say it in an amusing way that gets attention and on a broadcasting platform with wide reach.  So he opposes it — but not because he is applying cancel culture. He is exercising his right to invoke consequence culture.  This rather clumsy variant of cancel culture means that if you make a poor decision (like deciding to mock the President of the United States) then there will inevitably be consequences, for you and for your employer. It’s not that the President is applying pressure.  It is your own stupidity that will bring about your downfall. The Whitehouse came up with the term consequence culture but it is a term that will operate only in a very specific political context.