Jared Kushner's Thyroid Cancer Journey

Former senior advisor to Donald Trump and American businessman, Jared Kushner, revealed through his book titled Breaking History: A White House Memoir that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He had secretly battled thyroid cancer while serving as a senior adviser in Trump’s first term as president.

Kushner is a former US government official who served as a senior advisor for his father-in-law, President Donald Trump, during Trump’s first term as president from 2017 to 2021. He is married to Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump’s second child from his first marriage.

During his time as senior advisor, Kushner led key initiatives such as the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill that was signed into law in 2018. After leaving the White House, Kushner found a private equity firm, Affinity Partners. In 2025, he returned as an unofficial foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump’s second administration, working on key diplomatic relations such as negotiations in the Gaza war.

Kushner shared that he was diagnosed with early-stage thyroid cancer in October 2019. He had learnt that he likely had cancer during one of the trade talks with China.

“As this high-wire act of trade talks with the Chinese progressed, I had to confront an unexpected and frightening personal problem,” Kushner wrote. “On the morning that I traveled to Texas to attend the opening of a Louis Vuitton factory, White House physician Sean Conley pulled me into the medical cabin on Air Force One. ‘Your test results came back from Walter Reed,’ he said. ‘It looks like you have cancer. We need to schedule a surgery right away.'”

Kushner shared that aside from his wife, Ivanka, and a few colleagues at the White House, he tried to keep his diagnosis under wraps. He added that his diagnosis made him reflect about how much he had been caring about his children.

“Every night, before I went to bed, I lingered for a few extra moments in my children’s rooms. I watched them sleep without a care in the world. I felt guilty that I had been so distracted and absent over the previous few years,” Kushner wrote. “I was always at work or taking phone calls when they wanted to spend time with their dad. I missed plays and sporting events. I had promised myself that when my service in the White House ended, I’d make up for lost time.”

Despite his efforts at hiding his diagnosis, his father-in-law, Donald Trump, had found out about his diagnosis and surgery. He shared that his father-in-law was accepting of it and said, “I’m the president. I know everything. I understand that you want to keep these things quiet. I like to keep things like this to myself as well. You’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about anything with work. We have everything covered here.”

Ivanka Trump’s reaction to her husband’s cancer

In an interview with the Diary of a CEO podcast, Ivanka opened up about her husband’s diagnosis. She was tearful as she shared about how emotionally difficult it was for her at that time, having to cope with her mother’s death too.

She shared that she chose therapy after some of the challenges around her husband’s health. “I had just left Washington. Our life was in flux. Jared was diagnosed with thyroid cancer for a second time and then my mother passed.”

Kushner had to undergo surgery to remove the cancer. He shared that the doctors “removed a substantial part of my thyroid” during the operation.

He wrote, “Before surgery, the doctors had warned me that the procedure could alter my voice, and it could take weeks or months to return to normal. Luckily, the impact was minimal.”

In 2022, Kushner underwent a second thyroid surgery. He has since recovered well and returned to his regular activities.