President-elect Donald Trump has urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday (December 27) to pause implementation of a law that would ban popular social media app TikTok or force its sale, arguing he should have time after taking office to pursue a “political resolution” to the issue, Reuters reports.
The court is set to hear arguments in the case on January 10.
The law would require TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the platform to an American company or face a ban. The U.S. Congress voted in April to ban it unless ByteDance sells the app by January 19.
TikTok, which has over 170 million U.S. users, and its parent have sought to have the law struck down. But if the court does not rule in their favor and no divestment occurs, the app could be effectively banned in the United States on January 19, one day before Trump takes office.