Philippe Reines
Philippe I. Reines (born November 25, 1969) is an American political consultant from New York City. A Democrat, he studied political science at Columbia University after attending the Ramaz School.
Reines began his career with Al Gore’s 2000 campaign and stayed involved in Gore’s activities after 2001. He served as Hillary Rodham Clinton’s press secretary starting in 2002 and became a key adviser, especially on Iraq issues. He helped with Clinton’s 2003 media campaign for Living History and was a main contact between Clinton’s office and the national press. He also worked on Chelsea Clinton’s 2008 campaign.
When Clinton became Secretary of State in 2009, Reines joined as a senior adviser and was promoted in 2010 to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic Communications. He co-founded Beacon Global Strategies in 2013 with Jeremy Bash and Andrew Shapiro.
Reines has a reputation as a combative, media-savvy adviser and “image fixer.” He has been involved in notable moments, including a controversial Russian “Reset” gag button in 2009, a public dispute with CNN over Benghazi coverage, and criticism of reporters at times.
In 2016, he helped prepare Hillary Clinton for debates and, like in 2016, assisted Vice President Kamala Harris with debate prep, often role-playing Donald Trump in mock debates.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:58 (CET).