TikTok CEO Shou Chew met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on December 16, marking their first encounter since Trump’s November election victory. 

The meeting, which sources familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN, follows earlier attempts by Chew to connect with Trump since the election. The former was spotted at Trump’s Florida resort in early December.

Hours before the meeting, TikTok filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court regarding the impending ban, set to take effect on January 19. The legislation, signed into law by President Biden in April with bipartisan support, would impose substantial fines on U.S. app stores and internet services hosting TikTok if ByteDance retains ownership.

During a press conference on Dec. 16, Trump expressed favorable sentiments toward the platform. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points, and there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with it,” Trump stated, though CNN’s 2024 exit polls indicate he actually lost the 18-29 demographic to VP Harris by 11 points.

TikTok’s legal team has requested the Supreme Court’s decision by January 6, citing the need for time to coordinate with service providers if a U.S.-specific shutdown becomes necessary. The appeal landed on the court’s emergency docket, known informally as the “shadow docket,” after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the ban earlier this month.

The company’s attorneys highlighted Trump’s supportive comments in their filing, arguing that a temporary block would allow “the incoming administration time to determine its position, as the president-elect and his advisors have voiced support for saving” the platform.

Despite the legislation’s requirements, ByteDance has previously indicated it will not sell TikTok. The law permits the president to grant a one-time extension of the January 19 deadline.

The Supreme Court’s involvement follows its July decision suggesting social media platforms maintain certain First Amendment protections. However, the D.C. Circuit cited this precedent while still upholding the TikTok ban on national security grounds.

Before meeting with Trump, Chew reached out to Elon Musk about the incoming administration’s potential tech policy changes since the Tesla CEo maintains close ties to the newly-elected president.