Will Trump White House rescue TikTok from looming ban? President-elect has done a 180 on the app

He didn't make any specific promises to reverse the impending ban, but his team says he will "deliver."

"The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail," Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance's transition team, said in a statement.

"He appreciates the breadth and reach of TikTok, which he used masterfully along with podcasts and new media entrants to win," Kellyanne Conway, an adviser close to Trump who now advocates for TikTok, told The Washington Post.

"There are many ways to hold China to account outside alienating 180 million U.S. users each month. Trump recognized early on that Democrats are the party of bans - gas-powered cars, menthol cigarettes, vapes, plastic straws and TikTok - and to let them own that draconian, anti-personal-choice space."

TikTok is currently fighting in court to undo the law, arguing that it is unconstitutional. 

The law also allows the president to extend the divestment deadline by 90 days if the administration sees "significant progress" toward a sale. 

The law is enforced by ordering app stores like Apple and Google to stop offering TikTok on their platforms, or be subjected to a fine. 

"Facebook has been very bad for our country, especially when it comes to elections," he said.

"Congratulations to President Trump on a decisive victory. We have great opportunities ahead of us as a country. Looking forward to working with you and your administration," the tech mogul said after Trump's win. 

Trump himself has more than 14 million followers on TikTok. "For all of those who want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump. The other side is closing it up, but I'm now a big star on TikTok," he declared in September. 

But back on Capitol Hill, the national security threat of TikTok is a top concern for lawmakers of both parties - 197 Republicans and 155 Democrats voted for the bill to force ByteDance to divest. They fear that the Chinese parent company could be harnessing data on U.S. citizens and manipulating the content that users see to be against U.S. interests, charges that TikTok denies.