Hillary Clinton debated Biden and Trump. She’s setting expectations for both.

Hillary Clinton, the only person to debate both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, spoke directly to the “excruciating pressure” she felt debating Trump during her failed 2016 presidential bid — and provided advice for battling a former president who she said would be vengeful and vociferous again on Thursday.

In a New York Times op-ed previewing the upcoming faceoff this week, Clinton invoked Biden’s “direct and forceful” State of the Union performance this year as a model for how he should combat Trump. But no matter Biden’s performance or Trump’s “drama,” the audience should focus on the high stakes of the election, Clinton said.

Her piece leans into an expectations game that is being played by allies of both candidates in the lead-up to the debate, with Clinton writing: “We’re picking a president, not ‘best actor.”’

The former secretary of State said that Trump interrupts, insults, lies — and stalks — to distract viewers from concerning comments that foreshadow how he governs. In one example, she cited a past pledge during their third 2016 debate to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, and added that viewers should interpret his current proposal to leave abortion policy to the states as an endorsement of “the most extreme abortion bans” across the country.

“It’s because of Mr. Trump that in Louisiana a young girl unable to get an abortion went into labor clutching a teddy bear,” Clinton wrote.

Clinton also wrote of Trump’s refusal to commit to accepting the election results in 2016 — promising to “keep you in suspense” — which at the time she called a threat to democracy.

“You can draw a straight line from that exchange to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,” she wrote.

Because of past remarks like these about abortion, democracy and the economy, Clinton said viewers should watch for Trump to preview an even more chaotic presidency that will threaten freedoms and worsen inflation. It won’t be a “rerun” of his first term, she added — though she cautioned that this will be the case “no matter what happens in the debate.”

In response to a request for comment, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called Clinton a “sore loser” who was still obsessing over the outcome of the 2016 election, accusing her of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and trying to stay relevant.

“Joe Biden should look over his shoulder because if he’s not careful, he might get Hillary’d,” Cheung wrote in a statement, appearing to reference her loss to Trump.

Clinton’s first-hand preview of how Trump will debate on Thursday — and her defense of Biden — is the latest in a chorus of Democrats and Republicans raising or lowering expectations for each candidate. She warned of those who watch debates “like drama critics,” creating expectations for Trump so low that “if he doesn’t literally light himself on fire on Thursday evening, some will say he was downright presidential.”

By contrast, Clinton said that Biden is disadvantaged by the precedent of poorer first debate performances for incumbents, which she attributed to the demands of the presidency taking away time for preparation. Biden will win if the “story comes through” of his sincere work to repair the American economy after the pandemic, lowering inflation, creating jobs and investing in efforts to combat climate change.

“Yes, he’s 81,” Clinton wrote. “That’s just three years older than Mr. Trump. And his lifetime of service and experience helps him get things done that make our country stronger and all of our lives better.”

The choice between either candidate is clear, she added: “a convicted criminal out for revenge and a president who delivers results for the American people.”

Clinton also announced Tuesday the upcoming release of an essay collection titled "Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty," which will include the former secretary of State’s reflections on losing the 2016 election. The collection will be available Sept. 17 — nearly eight years after her first debate with Trump.