A line in President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address activated Apple’s Siri on some iPhones mid-speech as users watched at home.
In the closing moments of the marathon address, as Trump recounted the story of Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, who was part of the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, users got a shock.
A word in Trump’s speech voice-activated Siri, which is now triggered by “Siri” alone, not “Hey Siri.” The word woke up devices because, presumably, it sounded like the activation cue for some devices.
Trump’s narration included gory details about battle wounds: “While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired… Eric was hit very badly… shredding his leg into numerous pieces,” he said, and later described the helicopter landing “even as he was gushing blood which was flowing back down the aisle.”
A Bluesky user captured the moment and suggested that Trump saying “searing pain” set off Siri, though others suggested phrases like “serious” may have done it, and some shared screenshots of the assistant offering search results about bullet injuries.
Exactly which word triggered the assistant isn’t clear, however. The Daily Beast has reached out to Apple for comment.
Slover was repeatedly struck in the leg and hip by hostile fire as he was preparing to land the helicopter during the mission.
“One bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces,” Trump continued. Slover survived and brought his team to safety.
As he and his wife, Amy, entered the chamber for Trump’s speech, they received a standing ovation and chants of “USA, USA, USA.”
