Social Media Reacts to an Attempted Assassination; Tech Elites for Trump; and TikTok’s Jawmaxxing Trend

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This week, an assassination attempt for the social media age: what the platforms got right and wrong in the chaotic aftermath. Then we talk with the Times reporter Teddy Schleifer from this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee about the wave of Silicon Valley billionaires stepping up to back Trump. And finally, we talk to The Times’s Styles reporter Callie Holtermann about facial fitness gum, a “jawmaxxing” product targeted at teen boys online.

Guests:

• Theodore Schleifer, New York Times reporter

• Callie Holtermann, New York Times reporter

Additional Reading:

• An Assassination Attempt for the Social Media Age

• How a Network of Tech Billionaires Helped J.D. Vance Leap Into Power

• Why Are Gen Z Boys Chewing on Rock-Hard Gum?

Credits

“Hard Fork” is hosted by Kevin Roose and Casey Newton and produced by Whitney Jones and Rachel Cohn. The show is edited by Jen Poyant. Engineering by Chris Wood and original music by Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop, Marion Lozano, Sophia Lanman and Rowan Niemisto. Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado.

Special thanks to Paula Szuchman, Pui-Wing Tam, Nell Gallogly, Kate LoPresti and Jeffrey Miranda.