It’s Not Just You. Trump’s State of the Union Triggered Siri on iPhone Users’ Phones

If you were watching the State of the Union address, and you’re an iPhone user, then toward the end of the speech, during President Trump’s recounting of the story of Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, you might have had Siri triggered—assuming you have voice activation turned on.

Gizmodo’s own Matt Novak brought it to my attention:

This feature once required the user to say “Hey Siri” but now only requires “Siri.” 

At least one other Bluesky user confirmed that she experienced the same thing. A user on X said the erroneous Siri trigger word was “serious” not “searing,” but the timing of the post suggests it was the same moment.

Another Bluesky user (whose posts are off-limits to those who are not logged into Bluesky), posted a Google results page Siri pulled up following the Siri-triggering line, featuring a bunch a results about bullets going through legs.

Trump’s recounting of Slover’s harrowing story very much did include such gory details:

While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired from every angle and Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces. And yet, despite the fact that the use of his legs was vital to a successful helicopter flight — legs are the most important part of flying a helicopter — to deliver the many commandos who would capture and detain Maduro was the only thing Eric was thinking about.

Exactly which word or words woke up Siri—”searing” or “serious” or perhaps some part of “…was hit very…”—are not yet totally clear, but it clearly happened around this moment.

But if your Siri was triggered, I hope it spiced up an otherwise dire night of politics. That speech was rough, folks!

Siri itself is expected to receive an update from Apple next month.