It's unclear what Trump will actually do to stop the ban on TikTok. He doesn't become president until the day after the ban goes into effect, and the president-elect can't make any legislative changes — no matter how badly he says he wants to "keep this sucker around."

In a race against time, TikTok's fate in the United States hangs in the balance as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a high-stakes case just days before the app could vanish from app stores nationwide.