Marco Rubio tells diplomats to use Times New Roman font after Biden's DEI-mandated Calibri

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed diplomats to ditch the font used by the Biden administration and return to the Times New Roman typeface for official communications. 

In an "Action Request" memo obtained by the New York Times, Rubio said that switching back to the font would "restore decorum and professionalism to the department’s written work." The memo stated that Calibri, which Biden administration Secretary of State Antony Blinken ordered the switch to in 2023, was "informal" compared to serif typefaces such as Times New Roman, and "clashes" with the department’s letterhead. The document’s authenticity was confirmed by a State Department official.

The memo, bearing the subject line "Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper," said that the change to Calibri "was not among the department’s most illegal, immoral, radical or wasteful instances of DEIA," the acronym for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Rubio said the switch was a failure, and that "accessibility-based document remediation cases" had not declined. 

Rubio wrote, "Switching to Calibri achieved nothing except the degradation of the department’s official correspondence." Times New Roman, Rubio wrote, had been the official typeface of the department for nearly 20 years. Prior to 2004, the State Department used Courier New. 

Blinken changed the font in 2023 after a recommendation came from the State Department’s office of diversity and inclusion. The switch to Calibri, which is viewed as a more modern, accessible font, was meant to improve readability for those with vision problems, dyslexia, and those who use assistive technology such as screen readers. 

Rubio’s order said that Serif typefaces, such as Times New Roman, are "generally perceived to connote tradition, formality and ceremony," and used by other federal government entities such as the White House and Supreme Court.