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Christopher Landau

Christopher Landau
Official portrait, 2025
23rd United States Deputy Secretary of State
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 25, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
SecretaryMarco Rubio
Preceded byKurt M. Campbell
United States Ambassador to Mexico
In office
August 12, 2019 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byRoberta S. Jacobson
Succeeded byKen Salazar
Personal details
Born
Christopher Thomas Landau[1]

(1963-11-13) November 13, 1963 (age 61)
Madrid, Spain
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Caroline Bruce Landau
​
​
(m. 1997)​
RelationsSigalit Landau (cousin)
Children2
Parent(s)George Walter Landau (father), Jetti (Jeanette) Klausner (Mother)
EducationHarvard University (BA, JD)

Christopher Thomas Landau (born November 13, 1963) is a Spanish-born American lawyer and diplomat who has served as the United States deputy secretary of state since 2025. He previously served as the United States ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021.[2][3]

Landau studied law at Harvard University. After graduation, he clerked for several justices of the Supreme Court. After being confirmed as United 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 his second administration.[5]

Early life and education

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Landau was born in Madrid, Spain, where his father, George Landau (later United States ambassador to Paraguay, Chile, and Venezuela), was then stationed with the Foreign Service.

Landau attended the American School of Asunción, Paraguay, for five years.[6] He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French.[7]

Landau graduated from Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, in 1981. He earned his BA in history, summa cum laude, from Harvard College in 1985, where he was elected to Phi 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 of Venezuela in the mid 1940s.[1] He received his JD, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1989, where he was articles co-chair of the Harvard Law Review.

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After graduating from law school, Landau clerked for Judge Clarence Thomas of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He later clerked for Thomas again in 1990 to 1991 after Thomas was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court and then Justice Antonin Scalia in 1991–92. During the former clerkship, Landau was co-clerk with Lawrence Lessig; during the latter clerkship, he was co-clerks with Gregory G. Katsas, Gregory E. Maggs and Stephen R. McAllister.

In 1993, Landau joined Kirkland & Ellis as an associate, becoming a partner in 1995. He was chairman of the firm's appellate practice until he left after twenty-five years to join Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in 2018.[10][11][12]

From 1994 to 1995, Landau was an adjunct professor of administrative law at the Georgetown University Law Center.[6] In 2017, the chief justice of the United States appointed him to the advisory committee on the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.[13] Landau served as a trustee of the United States Supreme Court Historical Society, and chair of the Society's Programs Committee.[14] He was also a director of the Diplomacy Center Foundation, which supports the United States Diplomacy Center at the United States Department of State.[15]

Landau being sworn in as ambassador to Mexico by Justice Clarence Thomas, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looking on

Diplomatic career

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United States ambassador to Mexico

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On March 26, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Landau as United States ambassador to Mexico.[16] On August 1, 2019, the Senate unanimously confirmed his nomination by voice vote.[17][18] He was sworn into office on August 12, 2019, arrived in Mexico on August 16, 2019, and presented his credentials to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on August 26, 2019.[19][20][21] As Ambassador, Landau made the issue of immigration a top policy priority.[22]

On September 9, 2020, President Trump added Landau to a list of potential nominees to the Supreme Court of the United States.[23] After Joe Biden succeeded Trump as President, Landau left his post as ambassador in 2021, and was replaced by former U.S. Senator from Colorado Ken Salazar.[24]

Social media usage

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As ambassador to Mexico, Landau was noted for his heavy usage of social media. In 2020, he launched a challenge on Twitter to boost his follower count in order to exceed the 150,000 followers boasted by the U.S. ambassador to Greece, noting his follower count was only 40,000 despite Mexico's much larger population. Landau tweeted in Spanish "This is an outrage! … Mexico has to be #1!" By July 2020, Landau's follower count had exploded to 245,000, in what Slate described as providing "an unexpected lesson in American digital diplomacy."[25]

In September 2020, Landau was accused of cyberbullying 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]

United States deputy secretary of state

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Nomination

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Landau was nominated to be deputy secretary of state by president-elect Donald Trump on December 8, 2024.[27] Top Trump official Stephen 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 President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said he had done a "very good job" as U.S. ambassador to Mexico.[29]

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 4, 2025, Landau supported the dismantling of USAID and proposed that it be replaced by private sector investment.[30] He also asserted that China was the United States' main strategic competitor, and that they would have to work with their allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, such as the members of ASEAN and QUAD. 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]

Tenure

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On March 24, 2025 the Senate confirmed his nomination 60–31[33] and he was sworn in as the twenty-third United 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 Affairs Juan 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 Minister Gerardo Werthein in which Landau praised Argentina's role in the region and its protection of political opponents of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The rise and fall of petro-liberalism : United States relations with socialist Venezuela". Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  2. ^ "PN523 — Christopher Landau — Department of State". United States Congress. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "Rinde protesta Christopher Landau, nuevo embajador de EU en México". Uno TV. August 12, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  4. ^ cooperkm (August 16, 2019). "U.S. Ambassador to Mexico – Christopher Landau". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  5. ^ Phillips, Morgan, "Get to know Donald Trump's Cabinet: Who has the president-elect picked so far?", Fox News, 9 December 2024
  6. ^ a b Tillman, Zoe; Tamkin, Emily (November 19, 2018). "A Lawyer With Conservative Ties And No Diplomatic Experience Is Being Vetted For US Ambassador To Mexico". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  7. ^ "Christopher Landau". United States Department of State. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  8. ^ "Prize Descriptions". prizes.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  9. ^ Harvard College Phi Beta Kappa Membership Roster, https://pbk.fas.harvard.edu/previous-years
  10. ^ "Christopher Landau, P.C. − Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP". Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  11. ^ Lat, David (January 11, 2018). "Prominent Supreme Court Lawyer Jumps From Kirkland & Ellis To Quinn Emanuel".
  12. ^ Olson, Elizabeth. "Quinn Emanuel Lands Lauded Top Court Litigator Landau". biglawbusiness.com.
  13. ^ "COMMITTEES ON RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE CHAIRS and REPORTERS" (PDF). www.uscourts.gov. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  14. ^ "Supreme Court Historical Society − Society Info". supremecourthistory.org. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  15. ^ "Board of Directors – Diplomacy Center Foundation". Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  16. ^ "Seven Nominations Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  17. ^ "PN523 — Christopher Landau — Department of State". United States Congress. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  18. ^ "Congressional Record".
  19. ^ "Christopher Landau rinde protesta como embajador de EU en México" (in Spanish). August 12, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  20. ^ "Christopher Landau new US ambassador arrives in Mexico with his family". August 16, 2019.
  21. ^ "AMLO se reúne con el embajador de EU en México, Christopher Landau". August 26, 2019.
  22. ^ Krauze, León (February 11, 2021). "Biden's ambassador to Mexico will face steep challenges and an already prickly relationship". Washington Post.
  23. ^ "Additions to President Donald J. Trump's Supreme Court List". whitehouse.gov. September 9, 2020 – via National Archives.
  24. ^ Post, Justin Wingerter (August 11, 2021). "Colorado's Ken Salazar confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Mexico". The Denver Post. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  25. ^ Armstrong, Mia (July 29, 2020). "Trump's Ambassador to Mexico Wants to Be a Star on Mexican Twitter. It's Complicated". Slate Magazine. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  26. ^ Green, Emily (September 15, 2020). "Trump's Ambassador to Mexico Is Bullying a College Student Online". Vice. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  27. ^ Wong, Edward (December 8, 2024). "Trump Picks Former Ambassador to Mexico for Deputy Secretary of State". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  28. ^ Swan, Jonathan; Haberman, Maggie; Fahrenthold, David A.; Savage, Charlie (January 16, 2025). "Stephen Miller, Channeling Trump, Has Built More Power Than Ever". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  29. ^ "Trump taps former ambassador to Mexico for US deputy secretary of state". Mexico News Daily. December 9, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  30. ^ "Trump State Department nominee says private sector investment should replace foreign aid". South China Morning Post. March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  31. ^ "US deputy secretary of state nominee underlines cooperation with allies to counter China's rise". The Korea Herald. March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  32. ^ Oswald, Rachel (March 12, 2025). "Senate panel backs diplomatic nominees after Democratic delay". Roll Call. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  33. ^ "PN12-25 − Nomination of Christopher Landau for Department of State, 119th Congress (2025–2026)". www.congress.gov. March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  34. ^ "Christopher Landau". United States Department of State. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  35. ^ "Mexico foreign minister, US official hold call on bilateral issues". Reuters. March 27, 2025.
  36. ^ "Deputy Secretary Landau's Call with Argentine Foreign Minister Werthein". www.state.gov. March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Mexico
2019–2021 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by United States Deputy Secretary of State
2025–present 		Incumbent