Aaron Parnas

Aaron Gideon Parnas (born April 16, 1999) is an American lawyer, political strategist, and digital journalist. Since 2022, Parnas has gained prominence as a political content creator on TikTok, where he delivers rapid-fire news summaries and legal commentary.

As of 2025, he has over 3.9 million followers on TikTok, 2 million more across other platforms, and his Substack newsletter, ''The Parnas Perspective'', is the top-ranked news newsletter on the site with more than 447,000 subscribers. He has previously worked as a securities litigation attorney in Washington, D.C.

Early life and education

Parnas was born in Boca Raton, Florida, to businessman Lev Parnas and Barbara Ison. He is of Jewish-Ukrainian descent. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University High School and simultaneously earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and criminal justice at the age of 18.

He received his J.D. with honors from George Washington University Law School in 2020 at the age of 21. While in law school, Parnas received awards for oral advocacy, including the Cohen & Cohen Mock Trial Award and the Graduation Award for Excellence in Pre-Trial and Trial Advocacy. He later clerked for Judge Sheri Polster Chappell of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Parnas has cited watching the televised Casey Anthony trial at age 12 as a formative moment that sparked his interest in law and public defense.

Career

Legal career

In 2019, Parnas interned at Greenberg Traurig, the former law firm of Rudy Giuliani. Following law school, he worked at Bell Rosquete Reyes Esteban PLLC and served on the board of the Florida Justice Center. He later joined the securities litigation team at Levi & Korsinsky LLP in Washington, D.C.

Political evolution

Parnas initially identified as a Republican and supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election. After his father's involvement in the Trump–Ukraine scandal, Parnas left the Republican Party and registered as a Democrat. He voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 election and served as press secretary for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party in 2021.

While his father's legal scandal played a role in his political realignment, Parnas has also cited a personal health scare and visits to underfunded classrooms as pivotal in forming his progressive views. He has said these experiences highlighted the importance of access to healthcare and equitable education, issues that pushed him toward Democratic politics.

Digital media and journalism

Parnas began posting videos on TikTok in early 2022, offering commentary and updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. By March 2022, his content had drawn a substantial following. That month, he participated in a virtual White House briefing with other creators to address disinformation about the war.

Following his coverage of Ukraine, Parnas broadened his focus to include U.S. politics and legal topics. He has commented publicly on the role of social media in elections, suggesting that platforms such as TikTok play a growing role in political discourse among younger voters. Following Senator Cory Booker's record-breaking marathon speech on the Senate floor, Parnas was the second journalist to interview him.

In 2025, Parnas’s Substack became the top-ranked newsletter in the news category, and he was awarded $25,000 as part of the platform's "TikTok Liberation Prize" initiative. That year, he also began regularly interviewing high-profile politicians on his Substack and social media platforms, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Adam Schiff, Representative Tom Suozzi, and Governor Gavin Newsom.

Parnas is known for his rapid-fire, front-facing video delivery style and around-the-clock news coverage. His videos, often recorded on the move or in casual settings, have reached over 180 million unique viewers in a six-month span. While some critics have challenged the clarity of his sourcing, Parnas has stated that he credits journalists when appropriate and independently sources many of his stories.

Parnas's news content is often produced spontaneously in informal settings. In one instance reported by ''Rolling Stone'', he was spending time with his friend Sam Schmir, a former White House digital strategist, when he texted, "I think we have something." Parnas promptly recorded a TikTok video about the developing story, which received over 125,000 views within an hour. Olivia Julianna, a fellow political content creator, has also described Parnas filming videos in unusual places, including outside the Cheesecake Factory, and joked that she occasionally records him "running off to film" mid-conversation.

Publications

In 2020, Parnas self-published a memoir titled ''Trump First: How the President and His Associates Turned Their Backs on Me and My Family'', which described his personal perspective on the events surrounding the Trump–Ukraine scandal.

Personal life

Parnas is Jewish and has spoken publicly about his heritage. As of 2025, he and his wife reside in Washington, D.C., and he works full-time as a social media commentator. He is close with Sam Schmir and Olivia Julianna, both of whom are content creators and work in digital strategy and political advocacy. They have appeared with Parnas in social settings and occasional informal collaborations.

Despite the intensity of his work, Parnas maintains a steady daily schedule: he wakes at 7:30 a.m., monitors multiple screens for live updates, and sometimes posts as many as 24 TikToks in a day. He is known for filming videos in unconventional locations, from airplane bathrooms to weddings, and has become a frequent subject of memes from both fans and critics.

Public reception

Parnas has been described as a "20-something Walter Cronkite" for Gen-Z and Gen Alpha audiences, praised for his concise, to-the-point news delivery on TikTok and Substack. Olivia Julianna has likened his style to traditional broadcast journalism, adapted for a generation with shorter attention spans.

He has also received recognition from legacy media figures; CNN anchor Jim Acosta called him the "Defender of Gen Z," and journalist Katie Couric interviewed him on her podcast ''Next Question''.

Politicians across the Democratic Party have embraced his platform. Senator Cory Booker called him a "source of light" in a 2025 interview, and Senator Adam Schiff noted the growing importance of digital creators like Parnas in political communication.

Still, his approach has drawn criticism. Some viewers have accused him of lacking transparency in sourcing, while others have taken issue with the perceived tone of his reporting on international conflicts, particularly the war in Gaza. Parnas has acknowledged the critiques and maintained that he cites journalists when appropriate and sources much of his own reporting independently.

He has addressed online criticism over his coverage of the Israel–Gaza conflict, stating that while he supports a two-state solution and Israel’s right to exist, he opposes the removal of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank. Parnas has said he has recorded over 500 videos on the conflict since October 2023 and believes Jewish creators are disproportionately scrutinized compared to non-Jewish peers. He has also expressed discomfort with reporting on events lacking verifiable sources and has encouraged viewers to diversify their news consumption.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parnas, Aaron
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American lawyers
Florida Atlantic University alumni
George Washington University Law School alumni
Lawyers from Miami
American TikTokers
21st-century American Jews
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Florida Democrats
21st-century American journalists