Trailing Joe Biden in the polls two weeks before the election, US President Donald Trump appears to be trying to make up ground by flinging accusations without evidence that his Democratic opponent is a criminal and attacking his son, Hunter.
On Monday, Mr Trump said his opponent had been "a criminal for a long time" and
lashed out at the media "for not reporting it".
He offered no evidence to back up his allegation other than to say "read his laptop", presumably a reference to a computer once allegedly owned by Hunter that has been the subject of recent stories in the New York Post, a newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Here is what we know about Hunter:
From 2014 to 2019, while his father was vice president, Hunter, 50, a lawyer and lobbyist, served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company.
Mr Trump accused Joe Biden of seeking the removal of Ukraine's top prosecutor in an effort to protect Burisma – and his son – from a corruption investigation while vice president.
Joe Biden acknowledged publicly that he pushed for the dismissal of the prosecutor, but the EU and International Monetary Fund also sought his removal because he not considered to be pursuing corruption aggressively enough.
Hunter told ABC News he may have displayed "poor judgment" in his past business dealings but had not engaged in any wrongdoing.
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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden waves as he departs The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP -
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden walks to his motorcade vehicle after talking with Wilmington, Delaware police officers as he departs The Queen theatre in Wilmington. AP Photo -
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden fists bumps a police officer as he departs The Queen after taping an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP -
US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden with his granddaughter Finnegan Biden hold milkshakes outside a Cook Out restaurant in Durham, North Carolina. Reuters -
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden boards his campaign plane at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Morrisville, North Carolina. AP Photo -
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign rally at Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina. AFP -
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden waves as he departs the stage during a drive-in campaign rally at Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina. AFP -
US President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participate in their first 2020 presidential campaign debate held on the campus of the Cleveland Clinic at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Reuters -
Members of the group "Arizona Republicans Who Believe In Treating Others With Respect" hold signs in support of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, during evening rush hour in Phoenix, Arizona. AFP -
Dennis Marshall, front left, and his Puerto Rican wife, Nettie Marshall, wave flags and signs to passing motorists during a rally supporting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in Orlando, Florida. AP Photo -
A caravan of supporters for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden drive past supporters of President Donald Trump standing on the sidewalk next to the Versailles Restaurant during a Worker Caravan for Biden event in Miami, Florida. AFP -
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign rally at Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina. AFP
Democrats in the House of Representatives opened an impeachment inquiry in September 2019 after a whistle-blower revealed Mr Trump sought to pressure the Ukrainian president into opening an investigation of the Bidens.
The Democratic-majority House approved articles of impeachment against Mr Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress but the Republican-controlled Senate acquitted him of both charges.
A report released last month by Senate Republicans into Hunter's Ukraine dealings did not find any evidence of wrongdoing by Joe Biden.
Last week the New York Post revived the allegations against Hunter with a story that claimed it obtained documents from a laptop owned by Hunter that was handed into a repair shop
but never picked up.
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President Donald Trump gestures as he talks about Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden as he speaks at a campaign rally Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) -
A woman wearing a protective masks stand in line to cast a ballot at an early voting polling location for the 2020 Presidential election in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The Biden campaign and its supporters have booked $15.4 million worth of media advertising on Oct. 19, compared with $6 million booked by the Trump campaign and its backers, according to data by ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics. Photographer: Marco Bello/Bloomberg -
Biden Harris campaign signs are displayed outside an early voting polling location for the 2020 Presidential election in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The Biden campaign and its supporters have booked $15.4 million worth of media advertising on Oct. 19, compared with $6 million booked by the Trump campaign and its backers, according to data by ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics. Photographer: Marco Bello/Bloomberg -
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump hold signs during a rally outside an early voting polling location for the 2020 Presidential election in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The Biden campaign and its supporters have booked $15.4 million worth of media advertising on Oct. 19, compared with $6 million booked by the Trump campaign and its backers, according to data by ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics. Photographer: Marco Bello/Bloomberg -
Voters wearing protective masks stand in line to cast ballots at an early voting polling location for the 2020 Presidential election in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The Biden campaign and its supporters have booked $15.4 million worth of media advertising on Oct. 19, compared with $6 million booked by the Trump campaign and its backers, according to data by ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics. Photographer: Marco Bello/Bloomberg -
Voters wearing protective masks stand in line to cast ballots at an early voting polling location for the 2020 Presidential election in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The Biden campaign and its supporters have booked $15.4 million worth of media advertising on Oct. 19, compared with $6 million booked by the Trump campaign and its backers, according to data by ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics. Photographer: Marco Bello/Bloomberg -
PRESCOTT, AZ - OCTOBER 19: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a Make America Great Again campaign rally on October 19, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. With almost two weeks to go before the November election, President Trump is back on the campaign trail with multiple daily events as he continues to campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Caitlin O'Hara/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY == -
PRESCOTT, AZ - OCTOBER 19: People watch as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a Make America Great Again campaign rally on October 19, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. With almost two weeks to go before the November election, President Trump is back on the campaign trail with multiple daily events as he continues to campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Caitlin O'Hara/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY == -
PRESCOTT, AZ - OCTOBER 19: U.S. President Donald Trump watches as Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) speaks at a Make America Great Again campaign rally on October 19, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. With almost two weeks to go before the November election, President Trump is back on the campaign trail with multiple daily events as he continues to campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Caitlin O'Hara/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY == -
epa08758158 Supporters of US President Donald J. Trump arrive to attend his campaign rally at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Arizona, USA, 19 October 2020. Arizona which has been a traditionally Republican majority state is in play in the 2020 presidential election with polls showing that challenger Joe Biden may win the state and Democratic Senate candidate Mark Kelly may complete the flip from republican to democrat in major political offices. EPA/RICK D'ELIA -
PRESCOTT, AZ - OCTOBER 19: U.S. President Donald Trump departs a Make America Great Again campaign rally in Marine One on October 19, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. With almost two weeks to go before the November election, President Trump is back on the campaign trail with multiple daily events as he continues to campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Caitlin O'Hara/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY == -
PRESCOTT, AZ - OCTOBER 19: People watch as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on October 19, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. With almost two weeks to go before the November election, President Trump is back on the campaign trail with multiple daily events as he continues to campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Caitlin O'Hara/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY == -
PRESCOTT, AZ - OCTOBER 19: U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the crowd before departing at a Make America Great Again campaign rally on October 19, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. With almost two weeks to go before the November election, President Trump is back on the campaign trail with multiple daily events as he continues to campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Caitlin O'Hara/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY == -
epa08758241 US President Donald Trump greets supporters at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Arizona, USA, 19 October 2020. Arizona, which has been a traditionally Republican majority state, is in play in the 2020 US presidential election, with polls showing that challenger Joe Biden may win the state and Democratic Senate candidate Mark Kelly may complete the flip from republican to democrat in major political offices. EPA/RICK D'ELIA
The newspaper claimed that emails found on the laptop showed that Hunter introduced his father to a Burisma adviser Vadym Pozharskyi in 2015 and contradict Joe Biden's claims that he never spoke to his son about his overseas business dealings.
It said the shop owner handed the laptop over to the FBI and also made a copy of the hard drive and gave it to former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Mr Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, has a record of dispersing disinformation about the Bidens and Ukraine.
A Biden campaign spokesman said there was no record of a meeting between the former vice president and Mr Pozharskyi.
Asked by a reporter about the Post report, Mr Biden said: "I have no response. It's another smear campaign, right up your alley."
Representative Adam Schiff, who led the Trump impeachment in the House, said it the allegations were false.
"For more than a year, Mr Trump has been desperate to create a scandal around his opponent,. He even tried to extort a foreign country into smearing Joe Biden, but failed," Mr Schiff said.
"Trump was caught and impeached over it. Now he's at it again. Different scheme. Same corrupt president."
Twitter blocked the sharing of links to the New York Post article and said there were questions about its veracity, a move which Republicans denounced as partisan censorship.
Facebook also limited distribution.
Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey later expressed regret over how Twitter handled its communications surrounding the article, saying it was "not great".
A Republican-controlled Senate committee is seeking appearances by Mr Dorsey and Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg to testify about alleged anti-conservative bias.
The Biden campaign suggested that the laptop story could be a disinformation campaign mounted by Russia, which was accused of meddling in the 2016 US election.
Director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe, who was appointed by Mr Trump, rejected that claim on Monday.
"The intelligence community doesn't believe that because there is no intelligence that supports that," Mr Ratcliffe told Fox News.
Republicans asked the FBI to reveal what it knows about the laptop.
"Are they covering up just because Hunter Biden might be engaged in things that also maybe should have been investigated and possibly prosecuted?" said Ron Johnson, a US senator and an ally of Mr Trump.
"Do we have two systems of justice, one for Democrats and one for Republicans?"
