After years of debate months of procrastination and weeks of panic the United States is now on the brink of banning TikTok a bipartisan issue that top politicians suddenly want to distance themselves from.

Why It Matters: On the eve of his inauguration President-elect Trump faces a huge challenge to his popularity executive power and credibility. He has promised to protect TikTok but has not clarified how he can do so without violating U.S. law.

The Latest: On Friday the Supreme Court upheld the law passed by Congress last year which forces the Chinese parent company to divest from TikTok by January 19, or face a U.S. ban.

The decision was unanimous with all nine justices dismissing a brief from Trump that asked the court to delay the ban so his administration could pursue a negotiated resolution.

President Biden who signed the TikTok bill into law will not enforce the ban stating Friday that actions to implement the law must fall to the Trump administration due to the timing.

TikTok meanwhile said the app will go dark on Sunday unless the Biden administration provides a clear statement to assure critical service providers of non-enforcement.

It was the Trump administration that initially pushed to ban TikTok via an executive order in 2020, citing national security risks posed by Beijing’s potential influence over the app and its user data. However Trump later became a defender of TikTok when he realized its potential as a powerful campaign tool especially among young people.

Now, for the 170 million American users, Trump's first day in office could be overshadowed by—or even tied to—the disappearance of TikTok from app stores.

What to Watch: Trump is considering an executive order to delay the enforcement of the TikTok ban giving the administration time to find a U.S. buyer despite TikTok's refusal to sell for the past eight months.

It's unclear how such an executive order would bypass the law, and app stores operated by Google and Apple could face fines and legal risks if they ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling. Still Trump is trying: He discussed TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a phone call Friday and has invited TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to be a VIP at Monday's inauguration.

The Intrigue: One of the biggest obstacles to Trump's mission to save TikTok is his own party.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) the chair of the Intelligence Committee blocked Democrats attempt to extend the deadline for the ban on Thursday. Let me be crystal clear: There will be no extensions no concessions and no compromises for TikTok Cotton said echoing the hawkish rhetoric common among many Republicans before Trump's change of heart.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) Trump’s nominee for secretary of state was one of the first lawmakers to raise concerns about TikTok in October 2019, but he has now indicated he will defer to Trump.

Between the Lines: In many ways the debate over banning TikTok is a microcosm of the broader U.S.-China competition.

Decoupling the two economies might sound like a smart national security approach but the practical consequences and the potential for public backlash are staggering. In the days leading up to the ban hundreds of thousands of self-described TikTok refugees have downloaded the Chinese app believed to be a reference to Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book.

This cross-pollination has led to an unprecedented cultural exchange between young Americans and Chinese users and created an anti-U.S. propaganda opportunity that Beijing could only have dreamed of.