It doesn't need to be a contradiction to be obvious weasel words they're using to literally avoid saying a few very specific words: "Biden won" or "Trump lost"

It's not finishing their sentence, it's forcing them to be specific. Rs want to sound clever and play word games, back them into a corner and make them be specific.

It's infuriating that Rs spit out word salads and play word games but no one ever pushes back on them, journalists and other Ds just let it slide.

That's a pretty nuanced take. I don't think Trump can appreciate that level of nuance and would be outraged anyway.