US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomatic correspondence to stop using the 'wasteful' Calibri font and return to the more traditional Times New Roman font, effective Wednesday.

The Associated Press news agency obtained Rubio's directive sent to all US embassies and consulates on Tuesday.

The Calibri font was adopted in 2023 by the administration of former US President Joe Biden, in an effort to be more accessible to people with visual disabilities such as dyslexia.

Why did the Trump administration order the change of font?

Rubio said the shift to Calibri under Biden was wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of US government documents, adding that it stemmed from misguided diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies pursued by Biden and Rubio's predecessor Antony Blinken.

"Switching to Calibri achieved nothing except the degradation of the department's correspondence," he said, adding that it also clashed with the typeface in the State Department letterhead.

The cable said, without providing evidence, that Blinken's font shift had cost the Department $145,000 (around €124,000).

Documents prepared for international treaties and for presidential appointments, which are required to use Courier New font, remain exceptions to the policy, the memo said.

Earlier in the year, US President Donald Trump acted to dismantle "illegal" diversity, equity and inclusion policies, ordering ministries and federal agencies to cancel all related programs.

Rubio has since led the initiative to ensure Trump's directive is implemented.

Edited by: Karl Sexton