Christopher Landau

Christopher Thomas Landau (born November 13, 1963) is an American lawyer and diplomat. Since 2025, he has been serving as the 23rd United States deputy secretary of state. He was also the United States ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021.

Landau clerked for then-judge Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He later clerked for justices Antonin Scalia and Thomas from 1990 to 1991.

In December 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Landau to be deputy secretary of state. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2025.

Personal life
Landau was born in Madrid, Spain while his father was working there for the Department of State. He studied at Harvard University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor.

In 1997, Landau married Caroline Bruce. They have two children.

Legal career
From 1994 to 1995, Landau was a professor of administrative law at the Georgetown University Law Center.  In 2017, the Chief Justice of the United States appointed him to the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.  

 United States Ambassador to Mexico 

On March 26, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Landau as United States Ambassador to Mexico. On August 1, 2019, the Senate unanimously confirmed his nomination by voice vote. He was sworn into office on August 12, 2019. As Ambassador, Landau made the issue of immigration a top policy priority.

As Ambassador to Mexico, Landau was known for using social media many times. Landau tweeted in Spanish "This is an outrage! … Mexico has to be #1!" so that more people could follow him on Twitter. By July 2020, Landau's follower count had gotten bigger to 245,000. In September 2020, Landau was accused of cyberbullying a Mexican college student who criticized him on Twitter.

After Joe Biden replaced Trump as President, Landau left his job as ambassador in 2021, and was replaced by former U.S. Senator from Colorado Ken Salazar.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
Nomination
On December 8, 2024, Landau was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the United States deputy secretary of state for his second administration.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 4, 2025, Landau supported removing USAID and proposed that it be replaced by private sector investment. The Committee voted 16–6 in favor of his nomination on March 12, 2025. Landau won the support of some Democrats. On March 24, 2025 the Senate confirmed his nomination 60–31.

Tenure
Landau was sworn in as the 23rd United States Deputy Secretary of State on March 25, 2025.

References

Other websites
 Appearances at the U.S. Supreme Court from the Oyez Project

Category:1963 births
Category:Living people
Category:Politicians from Washington, D.C.
Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
Category:Educators from Washington, D.C.
Category:Republican Party (United States) politicians
Category:Politicians from Madrid
Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Mexico
Category:Politicians from Maryland
Category:Lawyers from Maryland
Category:Educators from Maryland
Category:United States Deputy Secretaries of State