The Presidential Alert is a special class of alert that is issued by the President of the United States or the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during a national emergency. It is a type of Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) that is sent to mobile devices when the public is in harms way. The Presidential Alert is designed to let the White House inform the entire country almost instantly of grave public emergencies, such as a terrorist attack or an invasion. The Presidential Alert is one of three types of alerts that can be issued through the WEA system, the other two being Imminent Threat Alerts and AMBER Alerts.

The Presidential Alert is backed by FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and is issued at the direction of the President or his designee. The Communications Act of 1934 gives the President the authority to use certain private-sector communications systems for priority messages, and the President has sole responsibility for determining when the national-level alerts can be activated. However, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2015 states that the public alert and warning system shall not be used to transmit a message that does not relate to a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster or threat to public safety.

It is important to note that while Americans can choose not to receive weather and AMBER alerts, they cannot opt out of Presidential Alerts. The Presidential Alert is a critical tool for informing the public of imminent threats to their safety and well-being, and it is tested periodically to ensure that it is effective in the event of an emergency.