The US President-elect - who will be inaugurated on January 20, 2025 - was previously all for the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform being banned over security concerns, but over the weekend he suggested the app might have helped him gain votes in the presidential election.

Speaking at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday (22.12.24), he noted: "We did go on TikTok, and we had a great response. We had billions and billions of views."

Last week, the US Supreme Court agreed to review a request from TikTok's parent company ByteDance to halt a new law that would require the app be sold to a non-Chinese company by January 19, or face a ban in the US.

TikTok - which sued the US government in May over the potential ban - said the law violates the First Amendment.

Arguments will be heard on January 10.

Meanwhile, Trump also branded rumours suggesting Elon Musk will be president "a hoax".

He said at the event: “You know, they’re on a new kick.

“All the different hoaxes. The new one is that President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, that’s not happening.”

Trump made billionaire businessman Musk the head of his newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.