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The 22-year-old, who completed law school at George Washington University, has become a top news source on the Russian-Ukrainian war. He posts his content to TikTok, and was among a handful of influencers invited to a White House press briefing on the Russian invasion — specifically for TikTokers — to help combat misinformation about the war.
Meanwhile, his dad, Lev Parnas, played a key role in former President Trump's campaign in pressuring Ukraine into finding damaging information on then-rival and former Vice President Joe Biden. In an interview with the New York Times, Parnas said he regrets trusting Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, noting he felt he was simply "being patriotic." Aaron would later write a book about it.
The younger Parnas says neither the federal investigation nor political views have come between him and his dad. In fact, the father and son are more similar than they are different.
Further, the budding attorney's success on TikTok has nothing to do with his father, nor his political involvement, at all.
"I love my father, but I’m not my father," Parnas said on a call with Daily Voice on Tuesday, March 15. "We speak regularly, but we’re different people," he said, "and I’ve been able to do this all on my own."
Parnas, who moonlights as a freelance journalist, has been keeping his 1.2 million TikTok followers abreast on the war in Ukraine for weeks, at the encouragement of aunts and uncles who live there, fearing for their lives.
"I'll sleep peacefully when my 9-year-old cousin in Ukraine can sleep without a mattress over her head in case of a bombing," said Parnas from Miami. "My goal is to spread accurate information."
Parnas has been politically motivated since he was 14 years old, and says he was the one to push his family to get involved, too.
Like most Gen Z'ers, Parnas downloaded TikTok at the onset of the pandemic. He didn't start posting until late last year, but back then, it was mostly legal content.
He transitioned into news clips sometime last January, with a focus on the invasion from the very day that it happened late February. That's when Parnas' account blew up, he said.
"The feedback has been tremendous," he said. "It's truly an honor to have 1.2 million people coming to see my content as their number one news source."
At the rate Parnas' clout is growing, he could be overtaking some big names.
"A lot of people say they don’t go to CNN, FOX or MSNBC," he added. "It's an honor, and testament to being on my phone 24/7. I'll post 20 times a day if I have to."
Sometimes, he does.
Parnas averages a post every hour on a wide range of topics: Some political. Some bleak. Some outrageously funny.
Parnas was among the first to break the news March 5 of President Zelenskiy's famous call telling lawmakers this could be the last time they ever see him alive again. That video had 2.3 million views as of March 15.
In another video, Parnas tells a "great story" about a team of Russian soldiers who tried riding the elevator to the roof of a large building in Ukraine, only to get locked inside by building administration.
One of his most watched videos has 1.7 million views. In it, he talks about sanctions' impact on Russian dentistry — or lack thereof, now.
"Because of sanctions, we are seeing the end of dentistry in Russia," he said. " Russia has run out of most of its dental implants, crowns, drills and more, which have been imported from Germany... These sanctions do have some teeth."
On Tuesday, March 15, Parnas announced that Russia posed sanctions against President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. While the sanctions were likely performative, "the move shows diplomatic relations between Russia and the US are at the lowest point since the Cold War," Parnas explains.
When asked if he enjoys making the content, Parnas responded honestly.
"It's not really fun, and I'm not looking for clout," he said. I'm doing my part to educate a group of individuals that don't watch... the news. I wish this war never happened. I wish I didn't have this account, but now that I do, I might as well use it to spread accurate information."
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