That is not normal, but often encountered! The upper column shaft should not move in and out in the outer mounting tube. The plastic bushings at either end of the tube fail over time and need replacing, many vendors offer a bronze bushing upgrade.
The collapsible slip tube is lower and designed to allow the front of the vehicle to move toward to driver without pushing the steering wheel/column into the driver chest in a heavy frontal crash. It too can become loose over time resulting in a little side to side slop that can be fixed.
Julian
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