I am sure you all experienced the utter surprise and confusion yesterday afternoon when your phone, along with millions of other, buzzed with a message from Americas very own President, Donald Trump.
The message that surfaced on the phone screen of many yesterday stated “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed”. This small message apparently authorized by Donald Trump will be the first of many to alert Americans of national emergencies and catastrophe’s that may potentially occur. What makes these alerts unique from the alerts we are now used to getting like amber warnings and flood warning messages is that these “presidential alerts” are not able to be turned off, there is no opting out of this one. This mere fact alone has many fuming, and according to The New York Times, has prompted a lawsuit which has been filed in New York. The NYT states that three New York residents say the alerts violate their free speech.
What many don’t know is that the Communication Act of 1934 makes this completely legal and gives the president power to use communication systems in the case of an emergency.
Americans took to twitter heavily to express their comments, opinions, questions, and concerns about the Nationwide text message. See some of the tweets below that sparked the internet as well as brought humor to the very serious concerns of many Americans.
I, like many, am not really a fan of the text messages from the president, but was also lucky enough to not have received one. Comment down below what you think of the President being able to distribute out mass text messages.