December 9, 2025
Font wars, DC edition
Rubio Deletes Calibri as the State Department's Official Typeface
Rubio boots Calibri, crowns Times New Roman — comments go feral
TLDR: Rubio ordered the State Department to drop Calibri and return to Times New Roman, reversing an accessibility-minded change. Commenters split between mocking the politics and demanding proof of any “waste,” while others cheer tradition and quip that “even a stopped clock” can land a decent font.
The State Department just got a font flip: Marco Rubio axed Calibri and ordered a return to 14‑point Times New Roman, calling the Biden-era switch “wasteful” and dunking on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). The community reaction? Pure Fontgate. One top reply deadpanned, “Stopped clock, twice right?” — a reluctant nod that even critics sometimes agree on aesthetics. Another demanded receipts with “What was wasted?”, pointing out fonts don’t blow the budget. A link to the NYT piece fueled the fire.
Accessibility advocates reminded everyone why Calibri was picked: simpler shapes can help folks with low vision or dyslexia, and play nicer with screen readers. Typo-nerds brought the heat too, quoting Butterick’s roast: “When Times New Roman appears… it connotes apathy.” Traditionalists cheered the “ceremony” vibes, while diplomats groaned about font-size whiplash (Blinken’s 15-point vs. Rubio’s 14-point — yes, extra keystrokes became a plot point). Memes exploded: Serif Supremacy, Times New Rancor, and Air Force One cosplay. The biggest drama isn’t the letters, it’s the politics — one camp sees a petty culture war; the other says decorum matters and Calibri is too “soft.” Either way, the comments turned a font choice into a full-on roast.
Key Points
- •Marco Rubio ordered the State Department to return to Times New Roman 14-point and halt official use of Calibri.
- •A State Department official confirmed the authenticity of Rubio’s “Action Request” memo.
- •Antony J. Blinken’s 2023 switch to Calibri aimed to improve accessibility and included a change to 15-point font.
- •Rubio criticized DEIA initiatives, abolished the department’s diversity office, and said the Calibri switch failed to reduce accessibility remediation cases.
- •The State Department previously used Times New Roman for nearly 20 years and Courier New before 2004.