The Long, Strange History of the Presidential Text Alert

Published: Oct. 9, 2018, 7:23 a.m.

Donald Trump plans to text you Wednesday, whether you want him to or not. The first nationwide test of the government\u2019s Presidential Alert system will unfold at 2:18 pm ET, when every cell phone user in the United States will receive a text message from FEMA saying, \u201cTHIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.