Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner head out for dinner in Minnesota after planned thyroid cancer tests

By James On Aug 9, 2022

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have been spotted in Minnesota as they visited the state for a check up on the status of his thyroid cancer.

The glamorous couple headed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for scheduled monitoring and testing to ensure the cancer had not returned.

They also stepped out for dinner at a popular local restaurant before taking a stroll down the street with one of their security guards.

A source told DailyMail.com: ‘They were in Minnesota for Jared to have a scheduled check up at the Mayo Clinic, not exactly a romantic date night by any stretch of the imagination.

‘Jared has to travel there periodically for monitoring and testing to ensure his thyroid cancer hasn’t returned. Ivanka obviously travelled with him to offer support as his wife.’

It came hours after it emerged the FBI had raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion as part of a probe into whether he took classified records from the White House to his home.

The ex-president revealed the raid in a lengthy statement and said the Feds broke into a safe at his home as they hunted the documents.

The agents are reported to have seized 15 boxes worth of classified information but have not commented on what they contained.

Elsewhere in the FBI raid:

A former agent told DailyMail.com the search was likely sparked by new information from an ‘informant’;
A court ruled 3-0 on Tuesday that House Democrats are legally allowed to seek Donald Trump’s tax returns;
The judge who signed off the FBI raid on Donald Trump’s mansion represented Jeffrey Epstein’s workers;
A former acting US Solicitor General claimed Trump is probably the target of a criminal investigation.

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have been spotted in Minnesota as they visited the state for a check up on the status of his thyroid cancer

The glamorous couple headed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for scheduled monitoring and testing to ensure the cancer had not returned

They also stepped out for dinner at a popular local restaurant before taking a stroll down the street with one of their security guards in tow

Kushner and Ivanka were pictured smiling as they left Bleu Duck Kitchen in Rochester on Monday night following testing at the Mayo Clinic

A source told DailyMail.com: ‘They were in Minnesota for Jared to have a scheduled check up at the Mayo Clinic, not exactly a romantic date night by any stretch of the imagination’

The source added: ‘Jared has to travel there periodically for monitoring and testing to ensure his thyroid cancer hasn’t returned. Ivanka obviously travelled with him to offer support as his wife’

Kushner is pictured during the dinner at Bleu Duck Kitchen in Rochester on Monday night following the visit to the Mayo Clinic down the road

Ivanka flashed a stunning smile as she left with her husband before they strolled down the road in downtown Rochester last night

The Mayo Clinic, where Jared has been monitored and gone for check ups on the status of his thyroid cancer, is pictured

Kushner and Ivanka were pictured smiling as they left Bleu Duck Kitchen in Rochester on Monday night following testing at the Mayo Clinic

The glamorous couple later popped in at Bleu Duck Kitchen, which is down the road from the Mayo Clinic, following the testing

WHAT IS THYROID CANCER?

It is one of the rarer cancers that affects the thyroid gland, a small gland at the base of the neck that produces hormones.

It’s most common in people in their 30s and those over the age of 60, with women up to three times more likely to develop it than men.

The American Cancer Society estimates there are 43,800 new cases and 2,230 deaths from thyroid cancer in 2022.

Thyroid cancer is usually treatable, with a 10-year survival rate of 84 per cent, and in many cases can be cured completely.

Symptoms

a painless lump or swelling in the front of the neck – although only 1 in 20 neck lumps are cancer
swollen glands in the neck
unexplained hoarseness that does not get better after a few weeks
a sore throat that does not get better
difficulty swallowing

What causes thyroid cancer?

Thyroid cancer happens when there’s a change to the DNA inside thyroid cells which causes them to grow uncontrollably and produce a lump.

It’s not usually clear what causes this change, but there are a number of things that can increase your risk.

These include:

other thyroid conditions, such as an inflamed thyroid (thyroiditis) or goitre – but not an overactive thyroid or underactive thyroid
a family history of thyroid cancer – your risk is higher if a close relative has had thyroid cancer
radiation exposure in childhood – such as radiotherapy
obesity
a bowel condition called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
acromegaly – a rare condition where the body produces too much growth hormone

Types of thyroid cancer

There are four main types of thyroid cancer:

papillary carcinoma – the most common type, accounting for about eight in 10 cases; it usually affects people under 40, particularly women
follicular carcinoma – accounts for up to one in 10 cases and tends to affect middle-aged adults, particularly women
medullary thyroid carcinoma – accounts for less than 1 in 10 cases; unlike the other types, it can run in families
anaplastic thyroid carcinoma – the rarest and most serious type, accounting for around one in 50 cases; it usually affects people over the age of 60

Kushner and Ivanka were pictured smiling as they left Bleu Duck Kitchen in Rochester on Monday night following testing at the Mayo Clinic.

It is not clear what they ate but the restaurant, which has its own oyster bar, has steak with French onions and mini potato for $28, duck with kale and sweet potato for $26 and lamb chops for $28 among its extensive menu.

There is also Blueberry-Lemon Cake Roll for $11, white chocolate raspberry crepe cake for the same price and Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies for $7 for dessert.

Kushner reveals in his upcoming memoir Breaking History: A White House Memoir that he was diagnosed and treated for thyroid cancer while working in the White House.

In an excerpt in the New York Times, Kushner recalled a conversation he had with White House physician Sean Conley on an October 2019 trip to Texas.

He 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 told Conley to hold off – and come to his office the next day.

‘Please don’t tell anyone – especially my wife or my father-in-law,’ he said, referencing Ivanka Trump and then President Trump.

Photos from that day show Kushner seated alongside his wife at the Alvarado, Texas, Louis Vuitton plant. They were front row at Trump’s speech, while the president was photographed checking out the quality of the bags.

Kushner said his cancer had been caught ‘early’ but that a ‘substantial part of my thyroid’ needed to be removed. He feared the surgery could have impacted his ability to speak.

A doctor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital ‘concluded I needed surgery to remove an unusual growth in my thyroid, and we scheduled the operation for the Friday before Thanksgiving.’

‘That way, I would miss the least amount of time in the office. My absence might even go unnoticed. That’s how I wanted it,’ Kushner continued. ‘This was a personal problem and not for public consumption.’

Kushner said he tried to concentrate on work and ‘not to think about the upcoming surgery or the unwanted growth in my body.’

‘When I did think about it, I reminded myself that it was in the hands of God and the doctors, and that whatever happened was out of my control. At moments, I caught myself wondering whether I would need extensive treatment.’

He said the only people he let know were Ivanka, two of his aides – Avi and Cassidy – and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. The president, however, found out.

‘The day before the surgery, Trump called me into the Oval Office and motioned for his team to close the door,’ Kushner said.

‘Are you nervous about the surgery?’ he recalled Trump asking him. Kushner asked his father-in-law how he knew. ‘I’m the president,’ Trump answered. ‘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,’ the president said. ‘We have everything covered here.’

Jared Kushner (left) speaks to Ivanka Trump (right) at a Louis Vuitton factory event in Alvarado, Texas in October 2019. In his forthcoming memoir he reveals he learned he had thyroid cancer earlier that day

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (from left), Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump sit in the audience for President Donald Trump’s remarks at a Texas Louis Vuitton plant in October 2019

Jared Kushner (left) and Ivanka Trump (right) are captured getting off of Air Force One after the Texas Louis Vuitton trip. Kushner said in his memoir that White House physician Dr. Sean Conley told him he had thyroid cancer that morning

President Donald Trump holds up a Louis Vuitton bag during the October 2019 Texas factory tour, the same trip that Jared Kushner said he found out he had thyroid cancer

The Mayo Clinic: Prestigious medical institution with three centers in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona

The Mayo Clinic is one of the most prestigious medical centers in the country.

The nonprofit has three sites – in Rochester, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Florida and in Phoenix, Arizona.

It has also bought a clinic in London in the United Kingdom.

Its main focus is helping people with difficult cases and employs 4,500 doctors and scientists across the country.

The nonprofit started in 1864 when William Mayo settled his family in Rochester.

Earlier this year the Mayo Clinic fired 700 workers who refused to comply with the hospital’s Covid vaccine policy.

Workers had until the start of January to get their first shot or obtain a medical or religious exemption to the healthcare system’s vaccine mandate.

The clinic, which is the largest employer in its home state of Minnesota, reportedly granted the majority of exemption requests.

Meanwhile one of its doctors weighed into the trans row over swimmer Lia Thomas in May, confirming she does have an unfair advantage over biological women.

In an interview with The New York Times, he the international physiologist who consults on the sports confirmed her advantage is inescapable.

‘There are social aspects to sport, but physiology and biology underpin it. Testosterone is the 800-pound gorilla,’ Michael J. Joyner said.

The search on Trump’s house intensifies the probe into how classified documents ended up in boxes of White House records located at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.

It occurs amid a separate grand jury probe into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and adds to the potential legal peril for Trump.

Trump and his allies sought to cast the search as a weaponization of the criminal justice system and a Democratic-driven effort to keep him from a 2024 bid.

This is despite the White House saying it had no prior knowledge of it and that FBI director Christopher Wray was appointed by Trump five years ago.

Trump wrote: ‘These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.’

He said: ‘Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before.’

‘After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.’

Justice Department spokesman Dena Iverson declined to comment on the search, including about whether AG Merrick Garland had personally authorized it.

Trump did not elaborate on the basis for the search but the Justice Department has been investigating the potential mishandling of classified information.

It comes after the National Archives and Records Administration said it had received from Mar-a-Lago 15 boxes of White House records, including documents containing classified information, earlier this year.

The National Archives said Trump should have turned over that material upon leaving office, and it asked the Justice Department to investigate.

There are multiple federal laws governing the handling of classified records and sensitive government documents, including statutes that make it a crime to remove such material and retain it at an unauthorized location.

Though a search warrant does not suggest that criminal charges are near or even expected, federal officials looking to obtain one must first demonstrate to a judge that they have probable cause that a crime occurred.

Two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the search happened earlier Monday and was related to the records probe.

The FBI agents were joined by sheriff’s deputies at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago complex to contain the extraordinary scenes

Trump’s supporters were quick to turn out after learning he’d been raided by the FBI. His fans say it’s a double standard and a desperate attempt by the left to thwart a potential 2024 run

Supporters of former President Donald Trump were spotted outside his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday to back the ex-Commander in Chief after it was announced it had been raided by the FBI

Trump confirmed the raid – reportedly as part of an investigation into whether the former president took classified documents with him when he left the White House – on Monday evening

Some came in their cars and were camped out in the beds of their trunks, almost entirely in a show of support for the twice-impeached Trump

Agents were also looking to see if Trump had additional presidential records or any classified documents at the estate.

Trump has previously maintained that presidential records were turned over ‘in an ordinary and routine process.’

His son Eric said on Fox News on Monday night he had spent the day with his father and the search happened because ‘the National Archives wanted to corroborate whether or not Donald Trump had any documents in his possession’.

Asked how the documents ended up at Mar-a-Lago, Eric said the boxes were among items that got moved out of the White House during ‘six hours’ on Inauguration Day.

He said: ‘My father always kept press clippings. He had boxes, when he moved out of the White House.’

Trump emerged from Trump Tower in New York City shortly before 8 pm and waved to bystanders before being driven away in an SUV.

Many held pro-Trump signs, including ones for a presumptive 2024 campaign and even one for Trump’s previous campaign with former Vice President Mike Pence’s name crossed out

A reporter is heckled by anti-media and pro-Trump protesters across the waterfront from Mar-A-Lago

Authorities stand outside Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former president Donald Trump, amid reports of the FBI executing a search warrant as a part of a document investigation

At least one anti-Trump protester was spotted on the grounds with signs calling Trump names like ‘punk’ and ‘p***y’

One of the protesters was publicly identifying as a member of the far right Proud Boys and the ‘Bikers for Trump’ group

Eric Trump is spotted leaving Trump Tower; he told Fox News that he was the one who got notice of the raid and told his father about it

What WERE FBI agents looking for at Mar-a-Lago?

FBI agents who raided Donald Trump’s Florida estate have been in discussions since June with his legal team about a trove of presidential documents on the property, it emerged on Monday night, as speculation continued to swirl about what exactly they were looking for.

The raid was carried out on Monday, and confirmed by Trump himself. The White House is believed to have learnt of the raid when the rest of the world did, and was not informed in advance.

In February it emerged that Trump had taken classified documents out of the White House when he left in January 2021, and some of those were handed over to the National Archives.

Monday’s raid is thought likely to be related to the remaining boxes of documents, although it remained unclear why the FBI decided to raid the estate.

CNN reported on Monday evening that investigators were at Mar-a-Lago on June 8, meeting Trump’s lawyers to discuss the documents.

Trump was not questioned, the network reported, but stopped by and greeted the investigators and his two attorneys.

The two attorneys then took the investigators to a basement room and showed them where the documents were stored.

Five days later, Trump’s attorneys received a letter asking them to enhance the security on the store room, and a padlock was then placed on the door.

It’s unclear why the FBI then decided to raid the property.

In his first public remarks since news of the search surfaced, Trump made no mention of it during a tele-town hall on behalf of Leora Levy, the Connecticut Republican he has endorsed in Tuesday´s US Senate primary to pick a general election opponent against Democratic US Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Trump gave his public backing to Levy late last week, calling her on Monday the best pick ‘to replace Connecticut´s joke of a senator.’

But in a social media post he called the search a ‘weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don´t want me to run for President in 2024’.

GOP National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel denounced the search as ‘outrageous’ and said it was a reason for voters to turn out in November.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, said it was ‘an escalation in the weaponization’ of US government agencies.

Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader, said in a tweet that the Justice Department ‘has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization’ and said that if Republicans win control of the U.S. House, they will investigate the department.

That Trump would become entangled in a probe into the handling of classified information is all the more striking given how he tried during the 2016 presidential election to exploit an FBI investigation into his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton over whether she mishandled classified information via a private email server she used as secretary of state.

Then-FBI Director James Comey concluded Clinton had sent and received classified information but the FBI did not recommend criminal charges because it determined Clinton had not intended to break the law.

Trump lambasted that decision and then stepped up his criticism of the FBI as agents began investigating whether his campaign had colluded with Russia to tip the 2016 election.

He fired Comey during that probe, and though he appointed Wray months later, he repeatedly criticized him too as president.

Thomas Schwartz, a Vanderbilt University history professor who studies and writes about the presidency, said there is no precedent for a former president facing an FBI raid – even going back to Watergate.

Some also held invectives against Joe Biden, with one wearing a t-shirt of the president’s face saying ‘Not my Dictator’

Armed Secret Service agents stand outside an entrance to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday night

President Richard Nixon was not allowed to take tapes or other materials from the White House when he resigned in 1974, Schwartz noted, and many of his papers remained in Washington DC for years before being transferred to his presidential library in California.

‘This is different and it is a sign of how unique the Trump period was,’ said Schwartz, author of ‘Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography.’ ‘How his behavior was so unusual.’

The probe is hardly the only legal headache confronting Trump.

A separate investigation related to efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election – which led to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol – has also been intensifying in Washington.

Several former White House officials have received grand jury subpoenas.

And a district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, is investigating whether Trump and his close associates sought to interfere in that state’s election, which was won by Joe Biden.

Kushner’s book will be released August 23.

Trump’s Florida home: Mar-a-Lago, where agents were reportedly investigating whether Trump took classified documents with him when he left the White House