‘Presidential Alert’ test lets Trump send emergency text messages

A new emergency text message alert being tested by FEMA this week would allow President Donald Trump and his successors to send a nationwide alert in case of an emergency situation.

The test of the new system, dubbed the 'Presidential Alert' is scheduled to start around 2:20 on Thursday afternoon to "assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed," FEMA said in a statement about the new program.

Similar tests were conducted as far back as November of 2011 and as recently as September of last year, FEMA said. The message sent during the test is expected to be similar to ones see during regular monthly tests of the Emergency Alert System.

The test could be moved to October 3 in the case of a major weather event or other unforeseen circumstance. Trump and future presidents would not be able to use the system for political messages, but only in the case of emergency situations.

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