Font Wars Erupt in US Diplomacy
In a move that has sparked controversy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered a return to the traditional Times New Roman font for official diplomatic correspondence, effective Wednesday. This decision reverses a shift to the Calibri font, which was introduced by the previous administration in 2023.
Rubio has described the switch to Calibri as “wasteful, confusing, and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents.” He claimed that the decision was made in line with misguided diversity, equity, and inclusion policies pursued by his predecessor, Antony Blinken.
According to Rubio, the switch to Calibri was intended to mitigate accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities, but it failed to achieve this goal and incurred a cost of $145,000. The Secretary of State has ordered an immediate return to Times New Roman, which had been a standard font mandated by previous administrations.
Rubio’s decision is part of a broader effort to dismantle diversity and inclusion programs in the State Department, which were established to promote and foster diversity and inclusion. The Trump administration had instructed all federal agencies to return to purely merit-based standards.
The return to Times New Roman takes effect on Wednesday, and all templates for official documents are to be updated to remove the Calibri font. However, there are exceptions for documents prepared for international treaties and presidential appointments, which are required to use Courier New 12-point font.
Rubio’s cable to all US embassies and consulates abroad emphasized the importance of typography in shaping the perception of official documents. He stated that the switch to Calibri had achieved nothing except the degradation of the department’s correspondence.
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