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But unconfirmed reports of the J-10 bringing down a Western weapon system has triggered jubilation and triumphalism on Chinese social media.

The Chinese leader knows he is in for a long race – the Beijing Daily recently warned that the DeepSeek moment was not a time for "AI triumphalism" because China was still in "catch-up mode".

The entire vibe of the event was a mix of right-wing triumphalism — hopefully premature! — and relentless chest-beating, male-centric aggression, and rhetorical violence.

But Bush knew presidential triumphalism at that precarious moment might spark a hard-line backlash.

That view prefers to fast-forward to triumphalism and self-congratulation rather than acknowledge the truth behind it: We have been here all along.