Who is Christopher Landau? What His Journey from Ambassador to Deputy Secretary of State Means for US Foreign Policy
From Twitter diplomacy to the State Department’s second-highest post, Christopher Landau's confirmation signals potential renewed US focus on Latin America.
Christopher Landau, ambassador to Mexico during the first Trump administration, has been confirmed by Congress as the Deputy Secretary of State. This confirmation further solidifies the Trump administration’s deep bench on Latin America, with Marco Rubio at the helm of State, Landau his deputy, and Mauricio Claver-Carone as the department’s special envoy for Latin America.
Who is Christopher Landau?
Born in Madrid, Spain, to Austrian parents who emigrated to the US (by way of Colombia) after Hitler came to power, Christopher Landau is a lawyer by training who served as US ambassador to Mexico from 2019 until 2021. Landau spent his formative years (from 8 to 13) in Paraguay, attending the American School in Asuncion, after his father, a career foreign service officer, was named ambassador. It was during his time in Paraguay that Landau became fluent in Spanish. He returned to the US for high school and college, attending Harvard College and Harvard Law School. After graduating from law school in 1989, Landau clerked for then-judge Clarence Thomas. The following year, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and in 1991, he clerked for now-Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas. Landau joined Kirkland & Ellis as an associate in 1993 and became a partner in 1995. He served as chairman of the firm’s appellate practice until 2018, when he joined Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.
The Trump administration originally offered Landau a judgeship, but he expressed a preference for serving as ambassador to Mexico instead. In March 2019, Trump nominated Landau for the role, and he was confirmed in August of that same year.
Christopher Landau’s tenure as US Ambassador to Mexico:
Landau’s confirmation came at a tumultuous time in the bilateral relationship. The role of US ambassador to Mexico, arguably one of the most important in the State Department, remained vacant for 15 months after the Obama administration’s ambassador, Roberta Jacobson, resigned in May 2018. Jacobson, a Latin America expert and a career diplomat with over three decades of experience at the State Department, cited the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policies and the “increasing difficulty” in defending the Trump administration’s policies on Mexico which stymied cross-border collaboration during a period in which the Mexican government sought deeper cooperation and a more productive relationship. Ten months after her resignation, President Trump nominated Landau as ambassador in March 2019, and he was confirmed in August.
Landau’s tenure as ambassador was marked by its brevity, but also for his public outreach on social media, specifically Twitter, where he regularly highlighted his travels and meetings across Mexico, and readily and rapidly responded to engagement on his posts – both positive and negative. He highlighted Mexico’s rich culture, diverse people and landscape, extensive culinary scene, and even Mexican Spanish. He fielded bureaucratic questions about visas and appointments and pushed back against false stories about the Trump administration. Twitter offered a strategic tool of soft power, a direct means for Landau to connect with both Mexicans and Americans in Mexico, to develop a constructive narrative based on respect and appreciation for Mexico, its people, and its culture without the oversight of traditional State Department communication channels. While Landau never broke with the administration’s party line, his commentary about his experiences in Mexico, often imbued with admiration and gratitude, offered a stark contrast to the administration’s, whose public stance on Mexico often took a patronizing punitive approach specifically with regards to immigration, the renegotiation of NAFTA, and tariffs.
Not unlike his predecessors, but to an extent perhaps unknown by those who came before him, Landau faced the dual challenge of promoting the Trump administration’s incendiary approach to bilateral relations while also maintaining a cordial and productive relationship with the Mexican government. From Landau’s tenure as ambassador, we can expect him, as Deputy Secretary of State, to fall in line and execute the president’s commands. While his portfolio will significantly range in geographic scope, Landau’s passion for Mexico, and Latin America more broadly, will almost certainly mean increased focus by the State Department on the region - with hope that this additional attention will foster regional prosperity, economic competitiveness, and overall well-being for a region that has historically been overlooked.
Key Takeaways from Landau’s Confirmation Hearing:
On March 4th, 2025, the US Senate held a confirmation hearing for Landau’s nomination for the position of Deputy Secretary of State. Landau was well received by the committee members, almost all of whom touched on his previous experience as ambassador to Mexico. In his opening remarks, Landau paid tribute to his late parents, particularly his father, whose diplomatic career shaped his passion for international relations. He underscored his upbringing abroad and experience as Ambassador to Mexico as key experiences that made him aware of the State Department’s strengths and areas for improvement, particularly the need to enhance communication between foreign missions and policymakers in Washington. Landau outlined key priorities as Deputy Secretary of State, including defending US sovereignty, enforcing immigration laws, and recognizing global mass migration as a critical foreign policy challenge. He stressed the need to leverage national strength to achieve diplomatic successes and avoid unnecessary conflicts. He also called for the restoration of commercial statecraft as a core pillar of foreign policy.
Despite the relatively warm reception Landau received from the committee, he did receive some pushback from Democratic senators when he failed to directly answer questions that were critical of President Trump's decisions, such as dismantling USAID, funding freezes, and questioning as to whether President Trump is a Russian asset. A few comments worth noting:
When asked about the growing role of China, Landau highlighted the importance of working closely with regional allies to counter China’s influence and the need for the US to better integrate economic strategy into foreign policy.
Senator Hagerty questioned Landau about how he’d manage illegal expropriation of properties owned by American companies abroad, such as the case of the Mexican government’s expropriation of Vulcan Materials. Landau emphasized the role of the State Department in advocating for US private citizens and businesses, underscoring the work he did on this as ambassador and vowing to continue this work if confirmed for the role. Landau committed to calling the Mexican government on day one of his term to address the issue and bring up concerns about US investment in the country, emphasizing the importance of bilateral cooperation to ensure continued investment and a strong commercial relationship
Landau emphasized the power of the American private sector in boosting global prosperity, suggesting that investments by the private sector offer a higher return than traditional foreign aid. He advocated for prioritizing private sector investment to improve living standards abroad, better support private sector-driven economic growth.
Interesting backstory on Landau.