Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered all U.S. diplomatic correspondence to abandon the Calibri font and revert to Times New Roman, effective Wednesday. The move reverses a 2023 decision under the previous administration to adopt the sans serif typeface, which Rubio described as wasteful, confusing, and inappropriate for the formality of government communications.
In a directive sent to U.S. embassies and consulates, Rubio said typography influences the perceived professionalism and cohesion of official documents. He criticized the Calibri switch, implemented under diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, as failing to improve accessibility and costing the department $145,000. Since assuming office in January, Rubio has systematically dismantled DEI programs at the State Department, eliminating offices, initiatives, and funding for related projects both domestically and abroad. The directive instructs all official document templates to remove Calibri, with the only exceptions being international treaty documents and presidential appointment materials, which must continue using 12-point Courier New.