Trump will stop darkening platform, top adviser says

US President-elect Donald Trump will find a way to save TikTok before a ban on the app takes effect this weekend, his national security adviser has said.

Congressman Mike Waltz, R-Florida, said Trump would intervene if the Supreme Court passes a law banning the platform in the US unless it is sold by January 19.

In the past week, the Biden administration has also been looking for ways to prevent TikTok from suddenly disappearing, NBC News reported.

Chinese owner ByteDance said it plans to shut down the app for its 170 million US users by Sunday.

“We’re going to put measures in place to keep TikTok from going dark,” Waltz said Thursday.

He noted that the law allows for a 90-day extension for ByteDance if significant progress has been made towards the sale.

“Basically, this buys President Trump time to keep TikTok going,” Waltz said.

A day earlier, the incoming national security adviser told Fox News that Trump was planning an executive order in an effort to end the ban.

However, it is unclear whether any such measure could circumvent a law passed by Congress.

The app has been banned on national security grounds amid concerns that its data could be collected by the Chinese Communist Party.

But according to the New York Times, Trump has invited the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, to attend the presidential inauguration next Monday, sitting in the seat of honor.

Trump has previously asked the Supreme Court to delay the ban – which was due to take effect a day before he was sworn into office – so he can find a “political” solution.

Congress passed a bipartisan bill last year that gave TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, nine months to find a US-approved buyer or face a US ban on the platform.

The legislation does not prohibit the use of the app, but would require tech giants like Apple and Google to stop offering it and prevent updates, which analysts suggest would kill it over time.

President Joe Biden signed the bill into law last April as part of a package that provided aid to Ukraine and Israel.

But NBC News reports that Biden has also been exploring ways to keep the app available if the ban goes into effect.

Under that plan, the matter would be delayed, 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 rejected the sale.

The Supreme Court heard arguments from TikTok and Bytedance against the law last week.

A decision is expected any day.

Biden and Trump have reversed their position on the platform.

Trump tried to ban the app during his first term, but said during this year’s campaign that he would support it.