The debate between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump this week will be the highest-stakes moment of their rematch, plunging them into an extraordinarily early confrontation before a divided and angry nation.

For Biden, the debate in Atlanta offers an opportunity to remind voters of the chaos of his predecessor’s leadership and criminal convictions, and to warn of an even darker future should Trump win a second term. For Trump, it’s a chance to make his case that America has grown more expensive, weaker and more dangerous under his successor.