It doesn't matter who came up with the idea and I don't object to the principle of the thing, just the labeling. Using the "presidential alert" label interjects a personality into a process that should be personality-free. A tornado siren is personality-free. It is perceived exactly the same way by everyone. Nobody thinks it has some hidden agenda. A "presidential alert" is saddled with baggage that may cause people to ignore its message based upon how they feel about whoever is president at the time.

There was a time when most Americans trusted the president, regardless of whether they agreed with him or not. Those days are long gone. Why would anyone choose to present what could be life-or-death information in a way that may cause huge numbers of people to ignore it?