December 10, 2025 · Political Spectacle & Unusual Conduct
· policy
Confirmed
State Department Bans Calibri Font as Part of Anti-"Woke" Push
In a December 9, 2025 cable, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the State Department to stop using the Calibri font and revert to Times New Roman across official documents, reversing a 2023 Biden-era switch that had been recommended by internal diversity and disability-access groups. The cable stated the change was meant to "restore decorum and professionalism" and eliminate a diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility program.
The decision drew criticism from disability advocates, who noted that sans-serif fonts like Calibri improve on-screen readability for people with low vision, meaning the switch back to a serif typeface could make government documents harder to read for some readers rather than easier.
The episode became a minor symbol of the administration's broader practice of relabeling accessibility or inclusion-related initiatives as ideological overreach, even in cases — like font choice — with negligible substantive stakes but real practical effects on affected users.
The decision drew criticism from disability advocates, who noted that sans-serif fonts like Calibri improve on-screen readability for people with low vision, meaning the switch back to a serif typeface could make government documents harder to read for some readers rather than easier.
The episode became a minor symbol of the administration's broader practice of relabeling accessibility or inclusion-related initiatives as ideological overreach, even in cases — like font choice — with negligible substantive stakes but real practical effects on affected users.
Sources
- State Department Bans Calibri Font as Part of Anti-"Woke" Push — Axios
- Calibri font banished as U.S. diplomacy returns to Times New Roman — The Washington Post, 2025-12-10 Supporting