WASHINGTON, D.C.: All diplomatic correspondence and U.S. government documents will no longer use the Calibri font and will revert to the traditional Times New Roman typeface, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered on December 10.
Calling the Calibri font "wasteful, confusing, and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents," Rubio reversed a Biden administration shift to the less formal typeface.
"Typography shapes how official documents are perceived in terms of cohesion, professionalism, and formality," Rubio said in a cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates abroad on December 9.
In the cable, Rubio said the 2023 shift to the sans-serif Calibri font emerged from misguided diversity, equity, and inclusion policies pursued by his predecessor, Antony Blinken. Rubio ordered an immediate return to Times New Roman, which had been among the standard fonts mandated by previous administrations.
"The switch was promised to mitigate accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities," the cable said. While it neither achieved that goal nor offered any evidence in this regard, it cost the department US$145,000.
Rubio has systematically dismantled DEI programs in line with President Donald Trump's broader instructions to all federal agencies since taking over the State Department in January. The Trump administration says the goal is to return to purely merit-based standards.
Rubio has abolished offices and initiatives created to promote and foster diversity and inclusion, including in Washington and at overseas embassies and consulates, and has also ended foreign assistance funding for DEI projects abroad.
"Although switching to Calibri was not among the department's most illegal, immoral, radical, or wasteful instances of DEI, it was nonetheless cosmetic," according to Rubio's cable obtained by The Associated Press and first reported by The New York Times.
"Switching to Calibri achieved nothing except the degradation of the department's correspondence," he said, adding that it also clashed with the typeface in the State Department letterhead.
A separate memo sent to department employees stated that the return to Times New Roman would take effect on December 10. All official document templates were to be updated to remove the offending Calibri font.
The only exceptions are documents prepared for international treaties and for presidential appointments, which are required to use the Courier New 12-point font, the memo said.
