Wikipedia

Ronald D. Johnson

Ronald Douglas Johnson is an American diplomat who is serving as the United States ambassador to Mexico. Johnson served as the United States ambassador to El Salvador from 2019 to 2021.[1] He was appointed ambassador by President Donald Trump on July 3, 2019.[2] At the time of his appointment, he was serving as the Central Intelligence Agency’s Science and Technology Liaison to the U.S. Special Operations Command, based in Tampa, Florida.[3] On December 10, 2024, Johnson was selected by Trump to serve as the United States Ambassador to Mexico during his second term.[4]

Ronald D. Johnson
Official portrait, 2025
Official portrait, 2025
United States Ambassador to Mexico
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 19, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byKen Salazar
United States Ambassador to El Salvador
In office
September 6, 2019 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJean Elizabeth Manes
Succeeded byWilliam H. Duncan
Personal details
BornRonald Douglas Johnson
PartyRepublican
University of the State of New York (BS)
National Intelligence University (MS)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service
1971–1998
RankColonel
UnitAlabama Army National Guard

Early life

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Johnson grew up in Alabama.[5]

He has a Bachelor of Science from the University of the State of New York and a Master of Science from the National Intelligence University. From 1984 to 1998, he served in the U.S. Army and retired as a colonel.[3][6] He led combat operations in El Salvador as an Army Green Beret during the 1980s, serving as one of 55 U.S. military advisers to the Salvador Army during the Salvadoran Civil War.[5]

After leaving the Army in 1998, Johnson joined the CIA.[5] He is fluent in Spanish.[7]

U.S. ambassador to El Salvador

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During his time as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, Johnson developed a close friendship with El Salvador president Nayib Bukele and shielded him from a corruption investigation by American and El Salvador investigators.[5] Bukele made a request of Johnson that a U.S. embassy contractor, a U.S. citizen, who had provided information to investigators, be removed from El Salvador.[5] Johnson complied with the request and dismissed the contractor. According to ProPublica, "The dismissal of the contractor was part of a pattern in which Johnson has been accused of shielding Bukele from U.S. and Salvadoran law enforcement."[5]

After his tenure as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, Johnson continued to support Bukele.[5]

U.S. ambassador to Mexico

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On December 10, 2024, then President-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of Johnson to serve as the United States ambassador to Mexico.[8] On February 12, 2025, his nomination was sent to the Senate.[9]

During his confirmation hearing before the Committee on March 13, 2025, Ronald Johnson did not rule out military action on Mexican soil against the cartels without notifying Mexican authorities if the life of an American citizen was at stake.[10]

On April 2, 2025, his nomination was favorably reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[11] On April 8, the U.S. Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 52–44 vote.[12] On April 9, his nomination was confirmed by a 49–46 vote.[13]

He arrived in Mexico on May 19, 2025 and presented his credentials to President Claudia Sheinbaum the same day.[14][15]

Controversy over CIA operations in Mexico

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In April 2026, a diplomatic dispute emerged between Mexico and the United States following reports that two Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers had died in a vehicle accident in Chihuahua, Mexico, while conducting an anti-drug operation without prior notification to the Mexican federal government.[16][17]

Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos was accused by Mexican media and political sectors of allowing foreign agents to operate in her state without informing the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs.[18] President Claudia Sheinbaum considered the incident a matter of national security and sovereignty, and sent a diplomatic note of protest to Ambassador Johnson demanding explanations regarding the officers' activities, their date of entry into Mexico, and their accreditation.[19]

As a result, several sectors —including Morena senators, human rights collectives, and political analysts— formally requested Johnson's expulsion as ambassador and the initiation of impeachment proceedings against Governor Campos.[20][21]

The Trump administration downplayed the incident and warned that Mexico must show greater cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.[22] Johnson faced his first high-profile diplomatic crisis since his appointment as ambassador.

Awards and decorations

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References

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  1. ↑ Renteria, Nelson (October 28, 2019). "U.S. extends protected status for Salvadorans in U.S. by at least a year". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Ambassador Ronald Douglas Johnson| U.S. Embassy in El Salvador". U.S. Embassy in El Salvador. Archived from the original on January 23, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Ambassador Ronald Douglas Johnson". US Embassy in El Salvador. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ Singh, Kanishka (December 10, 2024). "Trump picks Ron Johnson as US ambassador to Mexico". Reuters.org. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Murphy, T. Christian Miller,Sebastian Rotella,Kirsten Berg,Brett (September 30, 2025). "The Trump-Appointed Diplomat Accused of Shielding El Salvador's President From Law Enforcement". ProPublica.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Ronald D. Johnson", Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute, United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Distinguished member of the Special Forces Regiment: Colonel Ronald D. Johnson" (PDF). United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. April 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Donald Trump nominates Ronald D. Johnson as US ambassador to Mexico". Mexico News Daily. December 11, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). The White House. February 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ Lotz, Avery (March 14, 2024). "Mexican ambassador pick won't rule out military strikes on cartels". Axios. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Business Meeting" (PDF). U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  12. ↑ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Ronald Johnson to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Mexican States)". senate.gov. April 8, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  13. ↑ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Ronald Johnson, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Mexican States)". senate.gov. April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  14. ↑ Mexico, U. S. Mission to (May 19, 2025). "U.S. Ambassador to Mexico – Ronald D. Johnson". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  15. ↑ https://x.com/Claudiashein/status/1924562934849491028
  16. ↑ "U.S. Personnel Who Died in Mexico Were Working for the CIA, Sources Say". The Intercept. April 21, 2026.
  17. ↑ "US officials killed in crash identified as CIA". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. April 21, 2026.
  18. ↑ "El regreso de la CIA". El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). April 22, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Agentes de la CIA en Chihuahua: Sheinbaum pide información a embajador Ronald Johnson". Eje Central (in Spanish). April 22, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Muerte de agentes de la CIA agrieta relación con EU". El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). April 22, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Chihuahua: mucho que explicar". La Jornada (in Spanish). April 22, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Muerte de agentes de CIA agrieta relación". El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). April 22, 2026.
  23. 1 2 Camhaji, Elías; Alevar, Byran (December 11, 2024). "Pragmático, Polémico e Íntimo de Bukele: el Rastro Salvadoreño de Ronald Johnson, el Hombre de Trump para México" [Pragmatic, Controversial, and Intimate with Bukele: the Salvadoran Trail of Ronald Johnson, Trump's Man for Mexico]. El País (in Spanish). Mexico City and San Salvador. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
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