Christopher Landau | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 23rdUnited States Deputy Secretary of State | |
| Assumed office March 25, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Secretary | Marco Rubio |
| Preceded by | Kurt M. Campbell |
| United States Ambassador to Mexico | |
| In office August 12, 2019 – January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Roberta S. Jacobson |
| Succeeded by | Ken Salazar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Thomas Landau[1] (1963-11-13)November 13, 1963 (age 62) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Sigalit Landau (cousin) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | George Walter Landau (father),Jetti (Jeanette) Klausner (Mother) |
| Education | Harvard University (BA,JD)American school of Asuncion |
Christopher Thomas Landau (born November 13, 1963) is an American lawyer and diplomat who has served as theUnited States deputy secretary of state since 2025. He previously served as theUnited States ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021.[2][3]
Landau studied law atHarvard University. After graduation, he clerked for several justices of the Supreme Court. After being confirmed asUnited States ambassador to Mexico, he was sworn in by a justice he clerked for.[4][failed verification]
In December 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Landau to serve as the United States deputy secretary of state in hissecond administration.[5]
Landau was born inMadrid,Spain, where his father,George Landau (later United States ambassador toParaguay,Chile, andVenezuela), was then stationed with theForeign Service.
Landau attended theAmerican School of Asunción,Paraguay, for five years.[6] He is fluent inSpanish and proficient inFrench.[7]
Landau graduated fromGroton School inGroton, Massachusetts, in 1981. He earned his BA in history,summa cum laude, fromHarvard College in 1985, where he was elected toPhi Beta Kappa his junior year and earned a certificate in Latin American studies.[8][9] He wrote his senior thesis on U.S. relations with the leftist government ofVenezuela in the mid-1940s.[1] He received his JD,magna cum laude, fromHarvard Law School in 1989, where he was articles co-chair of theHarvard Law Review.
After graduating from law school, Landau clerked for JudgeClarence Thomas of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He laterclerked for Thomas again in 1990 to 1991 after Thomas was appointed to theU.S. Supreme Court and then JusticeAntonin Scalia in 1991–92. During the former clerkship, Landau was co-clerk withLawrence Lessig; during the latter clerkship, he was co-clerk withGregory G. Katsas,Gregory E. Maggs, andStephen R. McAllister.
In 1993, Landau joinedKirkland & Ellis as anassociate, becoming apartner in 1995. He was chairman of the firm'sappellate practice until he left after twenty-five years to joinQuinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in 2018.[10][11][12]
From 1994 to 1995, Landau was anadjunct professor ofadministrative law at theGeorgetown University Law Center.[6] In 2017, thechief justice of the United States appointed him to the advisory committee on theFederal Rules of Appellate Procedure.[13] Landau served as a trustee of the United StatesSupreme Court Historical Society, and chair of the Society's Programs Committee.[14] He was also a director of the Diplomacy Center Foundation, which supports theUnited States Diplomacy Center at theUnited States Department of State.[15]
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On March 26, 2019, PresidentDonald Trump nominated Landau asUnited States ambassador to Mexico.[16] On August 1, 2019, theSenate unanimously confirmed his nomination byvoice vote.[17][18] He was sworn into office on August 12, 2019, arrived inMexico on August 16, 2019, and presented his credentials to PresidentAndrés Manuel López Obrador on August 26, 2019.[19][20][21] As Ambassador, Landau made the issue ofimmigration a top policy priority.[22]
On September 9, 2020, President Trump added Landau to a list of potential nominees to theSupreme Court of the United States.[23] AfterJoe Biden succeeded Trump as President, Landau left his post as ambassador in 2021, and was replaced by formerU.S. Senator fromColoradoKen Salazar.[24]
As ambassador to Mexico, Landau was noted for his heavy usage ofsocial media. In 2020, he launched a challenge onTwitter to boost his follower count in order to exceed the 150,000 followers boasted by theU.S. ambassador to Greece, noting his follower count was only 40,000 despite Mexico's much larger population. Landau tweeted inSpanish "This is an outrage! … Mexico has to be #1!" By July 2020, Landau's follower count had exploded to 245,000, in whatSlate described as providing "an unexpected lesson in American digital diplomacy."[25]
In September 2020, Landau was accused ofcyberbullying a Mexican college student who criticized him on Twitter. Landau replied by sarcastically saying, "Obviously, your great education and knowledge of the world would allow you to do diplomatic work much better than the 'rudimentary' communications of this 'white foreigner.' " The student reportedly closed their account on Twitter following the exchange.[26]
Landau was nominated to be deputy secretary of state by President-elect Donald Trump on December 8, 2024.[27] Top Trump officialStephen Miller had lobbied for his appointment.[28] On the day of his appointment, Landau declared that one of his priorities would be the relationship between the United States and Mexico. His appointment was welcomed by Mexican PresidentClaudia Sheinbaum, who said he had done a "very good job" as U.S. ambassador to Mexico.[29]
During his confirmation hearing before theSenate Foreign Relations Committee on March 4, 2025, Landau supported the dismantling ofUSAID and proposed that it be replaced by private sector investment.[30] He also asserted thatChina was the United States' main strategic competitor, and that they would have to work with their allies and partners in theIndo-Pacific, such as the members ofASEAN andQUAD. Landau called for a reduction in the U.S. trade deficit.[31] He also stated that he believes in the rule of law and will implement all laws passed by Congress. The committee voted 16–6 in favor of his nomination on March 12, 2025. Landau won the support of some Democrats.[32]
On March 24, 2025 the Senate confirmed his nomination 60–31[33] and he was sworn in as the twenty-thirdUnited States deputy secretary of state the following day.[34] One of his first actions was a call on March 26, 2025 with the Mexican Secretary of Foreign AffairsJuan Ramón de la Fuente, in which Landau pledged to strengthen the bilateral relationship between their two countries.[35] On the same day, he had a call with the Argentine Foreign MinisterGerardo Werthein in which Landau praised Argentina's role in the region and its protection of political opponents of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.[36]
Media related toChristopher T. Landau at Wikimedia Commons| Diplomatic posts | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Mexico 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | United States Deputy Secretary of State 2025–present | Incumbent |
| International | |
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| National | |
