Trump will prevent the platform from going dark, says his top advisor

US 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.

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., said Trump would intervene if the Supreme Court upholds a law banning the platform in the United States unless it is sold before Jan. 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 has said it plans to shut down the app for its 170 million American users by Sunday.

“We will implement measures to prevent 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 toward a sale.

“Basically, that gives President Trump time to keep TikTok up and running,” Waltz said.

A day earlier, the incoming national security adviser hinted on Fox News that Trump was planning an executive order in an effort to lift 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 the Chinese Communist Party may collect your data.

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

Trump has previously asked the Supreme Court to delay the ban, which would take effect a day before he takes office, so he can seek a “political” solution.

Congress passed a bipartisan law last year that gave TikTok owner ByteDance nine months to find an approved buyer in the United States or face being banned from the platform in the United States.

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

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 considering ways to keep the app available if a ban goes into effect.

Under that plan, they would table the issue, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC.

TikTok and ByteDance deny being linked 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 at any time.

Both Biden and Trump have reversed their positions on the platform.

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