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Marco Rubio brings back Times New Roman: Why Biden-era official font was reversed, and where new rule applies
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered American diplomats to return to using Times New Roman as the standard typeface for official documents.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered American diplomats to return to using Times New Roman as the standard typeface for official documents, rolling back the Biden-era shift to Calibri. The updated guidance takes effect Wednesday per local time.
CNN reported that a State Department spokesperson framed the serif font as “more formal and professional,” in line with the administration’s “One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations directive.”
The decision overturns the 2023 move under then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who adopted Calibri based on recommendations from internal diversity and disability groups. At the time, those groups argued that sans serif fonts such as Calibri can be easier to read for individuals with dyslexia or visual impairments, CNN reported.
Marco Rubio links prior change to DEI policies
Rubio has directly tied the 2023 shift to Calibri to Biden-era diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. In a cable to US embassies, quoted by The Hill, he argued that the earlier change “achieved nothing except the degradation of the department’s correspondence.”
The Hill added that Rubio has spent much of the year dismantling DEI-focused offices and programs across the department and its overseas missions.
Also Read: DEI works when it evolves organically
Rubio also wrote that “typography shapes how official documents are perceived in terms of cohesion, professionalism and formality,” underscoring the administration’s emphasis on uniformity.
Designer of Calibri reacts to reversal
The designer of Calibri, Lucas de Groot, told CNN he was surprised by the policy’s reversal. He described the decision as a little bit shocking. “I think it’s hilarious and also a bit of a sad decision. I mean, Calibri was designed to be very well readable on screen in small sizes.”
De Groot rejected the idea that the typeface carried any political meaning, responding with a laugh: “I don’t know what the woke thing in it is.”
He added that Calibri was designed to offer clarity and a “friendly voice,” and called the return to Times New Roman “a step back into the past.”
Read More: Prove race not considered for admissions: Donald Trump's new order to combat DEI in US colleges
Where the new rule applies, and where it doesn’t
According to The Hill, Times New Roman will now be the default for diplomatic communications, with templates across the department updated accordingly. Two types of documents remain exempt: international treaties and presidential appointment papers, which must continue using Courier New in 12-point font.
The policy shift comes as the Trump administration has broadly targeted DEI programs throughout the federal government. CNN noted that Trump signed an executive order in January to abolish what he called “radical and wasteful” DEI initiatives, although some efforts to curb such programs, particularly in schools, have been halted by courts.
