The Calibri typeface has become the latest unexpected flashpoint inside the U.S. State Department, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered staff to stop using the sans-serif font and return to Times New Roman. The change was outlined in a memo obtained by The New York Times, marking yet another instance in which the Trump administration has rolled back policies or standards linked to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).
The shift may appear minor, but inside the agency it has triggered debate and some frustration, as typography has proven time and again to be a surprisingly emotional battleground. Rubio’s directive is part of a larger effort to strip out symbols or practices associated with the Biden-era DEIA initiatives, many of which have been dismantled since President Donald Trump returned to office.
From Accessibility Tool to Political Target
Calibri’s brief stint as the State Department’s official typeface began in 2023, when the Biden administration adopted it through the department’s DEIA office. The font was chosen specifically because its clean shapes and lack of decorative edges — the defining features of sans-serif design — can provide clearer readability for people with certain vision challenges or reading disorders. Wider spacing and simplified forms have long made fonts like Calibri a popular choice for accessibility-focused design.
Research remains mixed on whether sans-serif fonts are objectively easier to read than serif fonts, but accessibility advocates widely support using high-clarity typefaces to minimize visual strain. For the DEIA office, improving readability was enough of a reason to implement the change.
But the office that made that decision no longer exists. As part of the administration’s efforts to unwind DEIA-related programs, Rubio dismantled the department’s DEIA unit earlier this year. The memo rescinding Calibri represents another step in that campaign, with the secretary framing font selection as part of restoring what he considers “professional standards” within diplomatic communication.
Times New Roman Returns as a Symbol of Tradition
By directing staff to use Times New Roman going forward, Rubio is reinstating a font long associated with formal communication and institutional continuity. Created in the 1930s and adopted widely across government offices, Times New Roman carries decades of bureaucratic tradition behind it.
According to The New York Times, Rubio presented the move as a way to restore seriousness and decorum to State Department documents. While he noted that Calibri was not the most significant or extreme example of DEIA-era changes, he argued that its use contributed to what he viewed as a decline in the department’s standards.
The return to the older typeface is consistent with the administration’s broader messaging: a repudiation of the previous administration’s modernization efforts, even in matters as small as font choice.
The Oddly Passionate World of Font Preferences
Though fonts often fade into the background of daily work, Calibri has long been a source of strong opinions. Its years as the default font in Microsoft Office made it ubiquitous in homes, offices, and digital communications. That same ubiquity has also made it one of the most polarizing fonts in modern use.
Designers and typographers frequently debate its merits, and even among journalists and tech workers, reactions tend to be spirited. Commentary about the change referenced a TechCrunch staff poll revealing that many writers have an aversion to Calibri. For some, the font’s unassuming design feels bland or overly corporate; for others, its modern look is more appealing than a serif typeface associated with older print traditions.
The intensity of these reactions reflects a broader truth about fonts: people form emotional attachments to the way information looks. Typography can feel oddly personal, and debates about fonts can rival arguments about sports teams — each side fiercely defending its preference.
Tension Predated the Reversal
The State Department’s adoption of Calibri in 2023 did not go unnoticed internally. According to The New York Times, the change sparked disagreements at the time, with some employees excited about a readability-focused design update while others questioned the need to move away from the long-standing serif standard.
Because the switch came from the DEIA office, it also carried political implications from the beginning. For staff who supported the initiative’s accessibility work, Calibri symbolized progress and inclusivity. For detractors skeptical of DEIA programs, it was seen as unnecessary change driven by ideology rather than practicality.
Rubio’s decision to reverse the font selection has therefore reignited tensions that existed long before the memo circulated.
Typography Becomes Political Theater
At its core, the dispute over Calibri versus Times New Roman demonstrates how even mundane administrative decisions can become charged with political meaning. Fonts have always shaped perception — serif fonts often evoke authority and tradition, while sans-serif fonts are associated with modernity and digital spaces. But within a highly polarized political environment, these associations take on amplified significance.
By linking Calibri to the DEIA agenda and Biden-era policy decisions, the memo transforms typography into political symbolism. It’s part of a broader pattern across agencies: reversing even small visual or procedural shifts introduced over the past few years, emphasizing a return to what the administration considers “classic” or “proper” standards.
But design experts note that the practical differences between serif and sans-serif fonts are relatively small in most contexts. The real impact lies in how these choices are perceived, and in this case, perception is inseparable from politics.
