United States secretary of state Marco Rubio has ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font in official communications, calling his predecessor's decision to adopt Calibri a "wasteful" diversity move, an internal department cable reveals.
The department under Antony Blinken in early January 2023 switched to Calibri, a modern sans-serif font, citing it as more accessible for people with disabilities because it lacked the decorative angular features and was the default in Microsoft products.
A cable dated 9 December sent to all US diplomatic posts said typography shapes the professionalism of an official document and Calibri is informal compared to serif typefaces.
"To restore decorum and professionalism to the Department's written work products and abolish yet another wasteful DEIA programme, the Department is returning to Times New Roman as its standard typeface," the cable said.
"This formatting standard aligns with the President's One Voice for America's Foreign Relations directive, underscoring the Department's responsibility to present a unified, professional voice in all communications."
Some studies suggest sans-serif fonts, such as Calibri, are easier to read for those with certain visual disabilities.
Donald Trump, a Republican, moved quickly after taking office in January to eradicate federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes and discourage them in the private sector and education, including by directing the firing of diversity officers at federal agencies and pulling grant funding for a wide range of programmes.
DEI policies became more widespread after nationwide protests in 2020 against police killings of unarmed Black people, spurring a conservative backlash. Trump and other critics of diversity initiatives say they are discriminatory against white people and men and have eroded merit-based decision-making.
The state department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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