Overview
- An internal memo dated December 10 instructs State Department staff to use Times New Roman for official communications, according to Reuters and the New York Times.
- The decision reverses Antony Blinken’s 2023 move to adopt Calibri, which was justified on accessibility grounds and its status as Microsoft’s default font.
- Marco Rubio called Calibri informal compared with serif fonts and said the change eliminates what he described as a wasteful DEIA program.
- The State Department’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion, which had recommended the switch to Calibri, has been abolished under Rubio.
- The move aligns with President Trump’s broader effort to curtail DEIA roles and policies across federal agencies, as similar cutbacks have been reported at companies such as Ford, Meta, and McDonald’s.