The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomats to return to using the classic Times New Roman font as the standard typeface for official communications, effective December 9, 2025. The change reverses a decision by his predecessor, Antony Blinken, to use the sans-serif font Calibri at the start of 2023. Both of these fonts are extremely popular because both have been the default in Microsoft Word, first Times New Roman, then Calibri with Microsoft Office 2007.
Rubio cited several reasons for the change in an internal cable. Firstly, he said that the move restores decorum and professionalism to the Department"s work, calling Calibri "informal" when compared to serif typefaces like Times New Roman. Secondly, Rubio marks it as the abolition of "yet another DEIA (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) program." Finally, he said that the change aligns with President Trump"s directive to present a unified, professional voice in all communications.
During the Biden administration, then Secretary of State Antony Blinken switched the department over to Calibri for several reasons. Firstly, he believed that the font was more accessible for people with disabilities due to its lack of decorative angular features. Secondly, he noted that it was the default font in Microsoft products (though Microsoft changed this a year later with the introduction of Aptos). Finally, there were some studies suggesting that fonts like Calibri were easier to read for those with certain visual disabilities.
Given how this swapping and changing could be viewed politically, there really is no need to view it that way; it"s not the case that liberals use sans-serif fonts while conservatives use serif fonts. Generally, sans serif fonts are easier to read on digital screens, while serif fonts are better for reading on printed paper. Given that the State Department will likely be printing tons of papers, switching back to Times New Roman does make a lot of practical, non-political sense.