Melania Trump walked into the East Room of the White House on Wednesday flanked by a humanoid robot, then spent seven minutes pitching a future where children are taught by AI machines instead of human beings.

That’s what passes for education policy in this administration.

The first lady was hosting something called the “Fostering the Future Together” summit, a two-day international gathering on technology and education. Her entrance featured a walking, talking “Figure 3” robot — white and black, matching her stride, wobbling at points — developed by the San Jose-based AI robotics company Figure.

Melania Trump arrived to White House education summit with a humanoid robot. pic.twitter.com/RwNWq0IUy3

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The robot welcomed guests in multiple languages, thanked its host in a female voice, and walked back out. “My first American-made humanoid guest in the White House,” Trump announced, apparently thrilled.

Then it got weirder.

Trump launched into an extended fantasy about an imaginary robot teacher she’s calling “Plato” — named after the ancient Greek philosopher, because subtlety has never been this family’s strong suit. She envisioned the AI educator having a deep understanding of “every major subject, including classical studies,” available to children “in the comfort of your home.”

“Plato is always patient and always available,” she said. “Predictably, our children will develop deep, critical thinking and independent reasoning abilities.”

Let’s sit with that for a second. The wife of the president who has waged open war on public education, whose administration is gutting the Department of Education and slashing school funding, is now dreaming up robot replacements for the teachers her husband is helping to defund. AI will be “formed in the shape of humans,” she promised, and would “provide a personalized experience adoptive to the needs of each student.”

She used the word “adoptive.” She meant “adaptive.” Plato would probably know the difference.

Trump argued that introducing her imaginary robot teacher to the world would lead to a “more well-rounded lifestyle for our children” — “our children” being, in her case, Barron, the 19-year-old son of a billionaire who has never been within a mile of a classroom that needed more funding.

The summit drew fellow “first spouses” from more than 40 countries, including Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska, and Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump was in the room for a grand total of seven minutes. She delivered her opening remarks and left before a panel discussion on AI and education — the actual substantive part of the event she was supposedly hosting.

Seven minutes. That’s how long the first lady of the United States could be bothered to stick around at her own summit about the future of children’s education. Just enough time to walk in with a robot, name-drop an ancient philosopher, pitch a dystopia where machines raise your kids, and bounce.

The Figure 3 robot, for what it’s worth, also left early. It stayed for roughly the same amount of time as the first lady, which tells you everything about how seriously this administration takes the question of who educates American children.

Outside the White House, actual public school teachers are buying their own classroom supplies, watching class sizes balloon, and wondering if their jobs will survive the next round of budget cuts. Inside the White House, Melania Trump is cosplaying as a tech visionary, imagining a world where those teachers aren’t needed at all.

The robot walked a little unsteadily on its way out. Given the state of American education policy, it fit right in.