'This is beyond stupid': Netizens react after Marco Rubio orders State Dept to return to Times New Roman font

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the State Department to return to Times New Roman for all official documents, reversing the switch to Calibri made under the Biden administration. Rubio stated that Times New Roman is “more formal,” and the new rule will now apply to all internal and external Department documents.

"Typography shapes how official documents are perceived in terms of cohesion, professionalism and formality," Rubio was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. He added, “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."

After the development went viral, netizens expressed criticism and mockery of the decision. One user wrote, “This is beyond stupid.” Another commented, “Such petty concerns.”

A third said, “The man manages what he has the skills, scope and fortitude to manage.” A fourth added, “Rubio’s first act as Secretary of State: making life harder for dyslexic people to own the libs. Pathetic.”

Amid the backlash, a State Department spokesperson defended the change, stating that it is key to ensuring that official communications reflect dignity, consistency, and formality. The spokesperson said, “Aligning the (state) department's practice with this standard ensures our communications reflect the same dignity, consistency, and formality expected in official government correspondence.”

Rubio's predecessor, Antony Blinken, adopted the Calibri font in 2023, citing the sans-serif font’s greater accessibility for people with visual disabilities, according to the BBC. Lucas de Groot, the designer of Calibri, described the move as both “sad” and “hilarious.” He explained, “Calibri was designed to facilitate reading on modern computer screens - it was chosen to replace TNR - the typeface that Rubio wants to go back to now.”

Times New Roman is a serif typeface created for The Times of London in 1932 and has become one of the most widely used fonts worldwide. Calibri, a sans-serif font released in 2007 as part of Microsoft’s ClearType collection, is known for its high readability on modern screens.