Calibri has officially been removed from its post at the U.S. State Department. No dramatic hearing. No farewell speech. Just a crisp memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the font’s services are no longer required. Times New Roman will be taking over effective immediately.
The reason is where the story gets odd. Rubio linked Calibri to DEI-era policies and said returning to Times New Roman restores professionalism. It’s a serious explanation delivered in a situation that feels anything but. After all, most people do not wake up expecting a typeface to get caught in political crossfire.
Actually, Calibri was adopted in 2023 partly to improve accessibility for readers with visual impairments. It was hired for readability, not ideology. Yet somehow it has been recast as a cultural signal. Times New Roman is in. Calibri is out. And the internet is enjoying every second of the drama.
If fonts had feelings, Calibri would probably be blinking in confusion right now. It tried its best. It kept documents neat and legible. It was never looking for a fight. But politics moves fast and sometimes even a typeface gets swept into the storyline.
Will anyone outside Washington notice the difference. Maybe. Maybe not. For now, Times New Roman has its old desk back and Calibri has packed its boxes.
