Rubio orders US diplomats to change font in latest anti-diversity push

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomats to stop using Calibri font, calling it a "wasteful" example of diversity initiatives established under the Biden administration, media reports said.

Rubio instead directed State Department staff on Tuesday to use the serif typeface Times New Roman, in an effort to "restore decorum and professionalism to the department's written work," according to multiple US media outlets.

The department in 2023 switched to the sans serif font Calibri because its rounded letters with wide spacing are considered more accessible for people with disabilities.

Some studies have found that sans serif typefaces are easier to read.

"Typography shapes how official documents are perceived in terms of cohesion, professionalism and formality," Rubio reportedly wrote in a memo to staff.

The administration of President Donald Trump has taken aim at numerous diversity and inclusion policies.

Trump, a Republican, has made scrubbing DEI programs from the government a priority since taking office in January.

Rubio, in the memo, reportedly said the 2023 switch to Calibri "achieved nothing except the degradation of the department's official correspondence."