Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal says President-elect Donald Trump cannot override the law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, despite Trump’s campaign promises to protect the app from a potential ban.

Overseeing the hearing on Chinese hacking incidents, Blumenthal points out that the bipartisan law passed in April mandates ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19, 2025. He adds that outgoing President Joe Biden can grant a single 90-day extension if ByteDance shows significant progress toward divestiture.

“[Trump] can’t ignore the law,” Blumenthal stated in a press release. “If he wants to change the law, he can try, but sentiment is pretty strong here in favor of that law.”

The legislation, driven by concerns about potential Chinese access to American user data, prohibits Apple and Google from offering TikTok in their app stores and bars internet hosting services from supporting the platform unless ByteDance complies with the divestiture requirement.

Blumenthal also raises broader concerns about U.S. technology companies’ ties to China. He points to Tesla’s manufacturing footprint, with approximately 50% of its vehicles produced in China, and Apple’s significant presence in the country, where 20% of its sales occur and 80% of its suppliers operate.

ByteDance and TikTok have filed legal challenges to the law, and a decision from the U.S. appeals court is expected in the coming weeks.

Trump recently expressed support for TikTok, shifting from his previous attempts to prohibit the platform during his first presidency. “I’m for TikTok because you need competition,” Trump said in a statement.

The President-elect’s support for TikTok aligns with his criticism of Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, which suspended his accounts for two years following the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot and reinstated him in July.