Rubio orders return to Times New Roman font over ‘wasteful’ Calibri
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the State Department to return to using the Times New Roman font for documents instead of Calibri, erasing a change under the Biden administration aimed at making documents more accessible.
Antony Blinken, Rubio’s predecessor, had changed the font requirements to Calibri to make the text more readable for people with disabilities, but Rubio reversed that decision in part to make the text “more formal and professional.”
The new changes take effect on December 10 and apply to external and internal documents.
Lucas de Groot, the Dutch designer who created the Calibri font, told BBC Newshour the change was both “sad and hilarious”.
“Calibri was designed to make it easier to read on modern computer screens. It was chosen to replace TNR, the font that Rubio now wants to return to,” de Groot said.
A State Department spokesperson told the BBC that the move to Times New Roman aligns with President Donald Trump’s mission to “present a unified, professional voice in all communications.”
“Aligning the (State) Department’s practices with this standard ensures that our communications reflect the same dignity, consistency and formality expected in official government correspondence,” the spokesperson said.
Times New Roman is a serif font, which means it has small lines running from the ends of the letters. Courts, legislatures, and other agencies generally use the more formal-looking font. Calibri is a sans serif font, without these lines, and is considered easier to read on screens, especially for people with vision or reading difficulties.
In his Tuesday order demanding that diplomats return to Times New Roman, Rubio called Blinken’s decision to use Calibri an “unnecessary” diversity initiative, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters.
The Trump administration has made several changes to how government operates over the past 11 months, aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Most recently, the Trump administration announced it would remove Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and Juneteenth — two federal holidays honoring black history — as days for free entry to national parks. Instead, visitors will receive free admission on President Donald Trump’s birthday, which coincides with Flag Day.
