As a science reporter, I never thought I’d be writing about President Trump’s mind. I’m used to describing rigorous published research and interviewing experts who know a subject backward

and forward. So when my editor proposed in January that I investigate the claim that Trump might have a mental illness, and then this month that I look into chatter that Trump’s speaking

style is dramatically different today than it was decades ago, my first response in both cases was: Um, are you sure that’s a good idea? Lots of readers, and some other reporters, think it’s

a terrible idea. They argue, rightly, that no one who is not a physician and who has not examined Trump can say anything authoritative about his health, mental or otherwise. STAT+ Exclusive