Secretary of State Marco Rubio has just sent a cable to U.S. embassies to address the urgent need to switch back the official font used by the United States. The Joe Biden administration had made the switch from Times New Roman to Calibri, and now Rubio is claiming that decision was the result of a misguided diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative.
Looked at in isolation, the concept of a “woke” font is almost laughable, but there is an actual reason the Donald Trump administration is referring to Calibri in those terms. “Typography shapes how official documents are perceived in terms of cohesion, professionalism, and formality.” Rubio continued explaining his switch back to Times New Roman, saying, “The switch was promised to mitigate accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities.” Sec. Rubio argues that the State Department lost $145,000 in this exercise.
According to experts, some fonts are simply more accessible than others. And yes, it is possible that someone heard this news and went, “I’ve never had a problem with any font,” which is why the focus is on people who struggle with certain fonts — just like someone might struggle with light mode or dark mode on their phone. But Sec. Rubio claims there was no proof that the change improved anyone’s experience.
This administration has shown no hesitation when it comes to decimating anything they consider “DEI,” with Rubio himself taking charge in decommissioning USAID. So they probably didn’t need much convincing to change the font back to Times New Roman, despite there being no actual clarity on how they determined whether the change was beneficial to people with accessibility issues.
AP approached Sec. Rubio about the switch, and he gave a striking response, saying, “Although switching to Calibri was not among the department’s most illegal, immoral, radical, or wasteful instances of DEI, it was nonetheless cosmetic. Switching to Calibri achieved nothing except the degradation of the department’s correspondence.” They gave further instructions on how the font should be used from now on. It’s still unclear how this will help the State Department recover the “lost” $145,000.
As the administration focuses on tangential issues to prove to their base that they’re still clamping down on the “woke” left and all the problems they’ve brought to the nation — real or otherwise — the holiday season is quickly approaching. And as people make plans to make the season special for their loved ones, the economy suggests that widespread issues won’t be fixed by fonts.
According to McKinsey & Company, inflation and unemployment are high, and very few people are actually looking forward to the holidays. The renowned consultancy group notes that most Americans are heading into the season with intentions of practical gifting, like cards and simple visits over Christmas, to ensure every coin spent counts in the long run.
Of course, that’s not to suggest the federal government shouldn’t work — many great leaders have been defined by how they navigated tough times. But it begins with practicality. Spending more thousands of dollars just because you don’t like a particular font doesn’t suggest practicality — it suggests waste, all in the name of vindictiveness.
Published: Dec 11, 2025 01:35 pm