There is something destabilising about the playacting in politics these days, so much of it seems to take place in a no man’s land. On one hand, there is a dismissal of norms that normalises new ones, and on the other hand there is this peculiar monkey-say-monkey-do business, a robot or an alien creature pretending to be human:
“The very act of planting a garden involves hard work and hope in the possibility of a bright future,” the first lady said in a statement Monday. “Preserving the history and beauty of the White House and its grounds is a testament to our nation’s commitment to the care of this landscape and our dedication to American ideals, safeguarding them for our children and their children for generations to come.” — Melania Trump renovates the Rose Garden
Maybe the destabilisation is the point?