Wendy Ullman, Pa. lawmaker, plans face mask ‘political theater’ in overheard exchange with Gov. Wolf

Pennsylvania state Rep. Wendy Ullman appeared to call her face mask “political theater” in an exchange with Gov. Tom Wolf that has gone viral.

At the start of Tuesday’s news conference defending Obamacare, Ms. Ullman, a Democrat, was overheard on the state livestream speaking with Mr. Wolf, also a Democrat, about how they planned to wear their masks when the conference began, the Bucks County Courier Times reported.

“So Wendy, I’m going to, I’m going to take my mask off before I speak,” Mr. Wolf is heard telling her.

“I will as well,” Ms. Ullman responded.

“I’m waiting so we can do a little political theater,” she added, laughing. “So that it’s on camera.”

A 19-second clip of the exchange, tweeted by the Young Republican National Confederation, has racked up nearly one million views and caught the attention of the president’s son, Eric Trump, right before Tuesday night’s debate.

I hope every person in Pennsylvania sees this video! The Governor is killing your states economy for “political theater.” https://t.co/u5srZrmPYK

— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) September 29, 2020

Ms. Ullman later admitted her comment was in poor taste.

“While ’political theatre’ may not have been the best turn of phrase, I’m not going to apologize for wearing a mask,” she said in a statement to the Courier Times on Wednesday.

“As an elected official, I’m going to continue to use my platform to model good behavior that we know helps prevent the spread of the virus and work to bring relief to the hundreds of thousands that have been impacted by COVID-19,” she added.

Mr. Wolf’s press secretary Lyndsay Kensinger also defended the governor and Ms. Ullman.

“This is an out-of-context clip being pushed by an extreme fringe that believes COVID-19 is a hoax,” Ms. Kensinger told the Courier Times. “Unlike many of her colleagues on the other side of the aisle, [Ms. Ullman] leads by example to protect others by wearing a mask, and her constituents are fortunate to have her protecting them in Harrisburg.”