Rubio Mandates Return to Times New Roman to Dismantle Diversity Measures

2025-12-11 politics

Washington D.C., Thursday, 11 December 2025.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered a return to Times New Roman for official correspondence, explicitly framing the reversal of the accessibility-focused Calibri font as dismantling a “wasteful DEIA program.”

A Return to Tradition

In a cable sent to diplomatic posts on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered all U.S. embassies and consulates to revert to Times New Roman as the standard typeface for official documents [1][4]. The directive, titled “Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper,” took effect on Wednesday, 10 December 2025 [1][7]. Rubio explicitly characterized the previous use of the sans-serif font Calibri as a “wasteful” diversity measure that undermined the department’s image [2][5]. The Secretary argued that typography dictates how official documents are perceived regarding “cohesion, professionalism and formality,” asserting that the sans-serif alternative was too informal for high-level diplomatic correspondence [4][5].

Reversing Accessibility Initiatives

The policy effectively overturns a decision made in 2023 by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had mandated the switch to Calibri based on recommendations from the State Department’s office of diversity and inclusion [1][3]. That office, which Rubio has since abolished, advocated for the change to assist individuals with visual disabilities, including dyslexia and low vision, as sans-serif fonts are often cited by disability advocates as being more legible for users of screen readers and assistive technologies [1][5]. At the time, the move was intended to align the department with modern accessibility standards [5].

Broader Campaign Against Diversity Programs

This typographic reversion is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government [2][3]. Since taking office in January 2025, President Trump has signed executive orders to end DEI programs, resulting in the firing of diversity officers at federal agencies and the withdrawal of grant funding for related programs [2][7]. Rubio’s directive aligns the font change with the President’s “One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations” order, which emphasizes a unified and professional presentation in all diplomatic communications [2][5].

Sources

State Department Marco Rubio