Getty ImagesUS President-elect Donald Trump will find a way to save TikTok before a ban on the app takes effect this weekend, his incoming national security adviser said.
Congressman Mike Waltz, R-Florida, said Trump would intervene if the Supreme Court upheld a law that would ban the platform in the US unless it was sold by January 19.
In its final week, the Biden administration is also looking for ways to prevent TikTok from suddenly disappearing, NBC News reports.
Chinese owner ByteDance said it plans to suspend the app for its 170 million US users by Sunday.
“We will put measures in place to protect TikTok from going dark,” Waltz said on Thursday.
He noted that the law allows a 90-day extension for ByteDance if significant progress is made toward a sale.
“It basically buys President Trump time to support TikTok,” Waltz said.
A day earlier, the new national security adviser hinted on Fox News that Trump was planning an executive order to try to stop the ban.
However, it is unclear whether such a measure could circumvent a law passed by Congress.
The app has been banned on national security grounds due to concerns that its data could be collected by the Chinese Communist Party.
But according to the New York Times, Trump has invited TikTok CEO Shaw Zee Choo to attend the president's inauguration next Monday, sitting in an honored position at the podium.
Trump had previously asked the Supreme Court to delay the ban – which would take effect one day before he is sworn in – so he could seek a “policy” solution.
Last year, Congress passed bipartisan legislation that gave TikTok's owner, ByteDance, nine months to find a US-approved buyer or face a ban on the platform in the United States.
The legislation doesn't ban the app's use, but it would require tech giants like Apple and Google to stop offering it and prevent updates, which analysts say will kill it over time.
President Joe Biden signed the bill last April as part of a package that provides aid to Ukraine and Israel.
Getty ImagesBut NBC News reports that Biden has also considered ways to keep the app available if the ban goes into effect.
Under that plan, they would postpone the matter, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC.
TikTok and ByteDance deny any ties to the Chinese government. They have also ruled out a sale.
The Supreme Court heard arguments from TikTok and Bytedance against the law last week.
A decision is expected any day.
Both Biden and Trump have changed their positions on the platform.
Trump tried to ban the app during his first term, but said on the campaign trail this year that he would protect it.