5 things to watch ahead of the Donald Trump-President Biden debate

President Biden and former President Trump will face off in Atlanta on Thursday in the first of two planned debates as both men battle for the edge in a tight and contentious race.  

The history-making showdown will mark the first debate for each of the White House hopefuls since 2020, as well the first between a sitting and former president.  

Here are five big things to watch:   

What version of Trump shows up?  

Trump’s combative nature was on full blast four years ago when he came face-to-face with Biden at their first 2020 presidential debate, which some Republicans say cost him the election.  

But last week at a rally in Philadelphia, Trump asked supporters whether he should be “tough or nasty” or “be nice and calm” at the debate.  

“I think you’re going to see a combination,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist. “What Trump is going to want people to eventually come away with thinking is that Biden doesn’t…