Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former President Donald Trump – but also a top adviser and one of the most controversial figures in the Trump administration – was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, as he revealed in an autobiography to be published next month.

“Your test results came back from Walter Reed… It looks like you have cancer. We need to schedule a surgery right away,” the White House doctor told him as they traveled on the presidential plane to Texas.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” Kushner said to the doctor, “especially my father-in-law.”

Of course, Trump was informed about it.

This was one of the few White House secrets not leaked during the Trump days.

“This was a personal problem and not for public consumption,” Kushner explained of his decision.

I tend to agree with him. This is indeed a personal problem that there is no need for the public to know about.

Things would be different if he was the president of the country or even a top appointed or elected official. Then he would have the obligation to inform the people of his health problem. He would have no choice.

The life of politicians in general is difficult. More difficult than it looks from the outside. And this is because it is difficult to live in a fishbowl, constantly in front of the lens of publicity, and to have one’s every move and every word pass through a sieve.

So there must be limits to how far the lens of publicity reaches. However, the limits for a president must be different, as his responsibilities are different, and the limits for an advisor are different. No matter who it is.