The State Department has reversed a Biden-era typography change, ordering diplomats to use Times New Roman 14-point for all official documents. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent the directive to embassies and consulates, instructing that the switch from Calibri take effect immediately, the department told NPR.
That move reinstates Times New Roman as the department’s official typeface after it had been replaced by Calibri in 2023. Times New Roman had been the standard from roughly 2004 until that change. The department said consistent formatting across memoranda, principals’ papers and externally shared materials “strengthens credibility and supports a unified Department identity.”
Rubio’s cable characterized the 2023 adoption of Calibri as part of misguided diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, calling it “another wasteful DEIA program,” according to copies obtained by Reuters and the Associated Press. The return to Times New Roman, the department added, is intended to align with the White House’s “One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations” directive, underscoring a unified, professional tone.
The two typefaces mainly differ in serifs—small strokes on the ends of letters. Times New Roman is a serif font; Calibri is sans-serif. Accessibility specialists warn that serif detailing can make text harder to read for some people. Kristen Shinohara, director of the Center for Accessibility and Inclusion Research at the Rochester Institute of Technology, told NPR that serifs can be especially problematic for people with learning or reading disabilities such as dyslexia, and for those with low vision.
Federal accessibility guidance and the Americans with Disabilities Act generally favor sans-serif typefaces for signage and screens because they are often more legible. Nevertheless, serif faces like Times New Roman remain common in print media, books and many legal or formal documents. The State Department said serif fonts appear “more formal and professional,” but did not respond to NPR’s questions about whether the change could reduce accessibility.
Times New Roman was created for the British newspaper The Times in the 1920s and later became widely used. Microsoft made Times New Roman its default in applications like Word until 2007, when it switched to Calibri, a sans-serif designed for on-screen reading. In 2023 Microsoft introduced Aptos as its new default font.
Officials framed Rubio’s decision as part of a broader push by the Trump administration to roll back DEI initiatives across the federal government. Since taking office, that administration has issued executive orders and directives that limit or dismantle diversity and inclusion programs in agencies, the foreign service and federal contracting, and has pressured universities and schools over DEI efforts. It has also signaled preferences for certain aesthetics in federal communications and spaces, from classical architectural styles to changes inside the White House.
Other actions under this administration have included removing web pages on topics such as LGBTQ health from agency sites and advising employees to avoid certain climate-related terms. Court filings disclosed a six-page list of words reportedly barred from federal Head Start program materials, including terms like “disability,” “race” and “women.”
During Rubio’s tenure, the State Department has trimmed or reorganized offices and initiatives intended to promote inclusion and diversity at home and abroad. Officials present the font policy change as one element in a broader emphasis on uniformity, professionalism and alignment with administration priorities.