Chelsea Clinton considering running for office

Chelsea Clinton has said she is considering running for office in the future.

The only child of 2016 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and ex-president Bill Clinton described a career in politics as a “definite no now” but a “definite maybe” in the future.

The former first daughter told the Edinburgh international book festival she “abhorred” Donald Trump’s presidency.

Ms Clinton, who was promoting her children’s book about women who have persisted against adversity, condemned the American president over the separation of children from their parents at the Mexican border.

She called the policy “the greatest sin of the moment”.

“At federal level, as much as I abhor so much of what President Trump is doing, I have a great amount of gratitude for what my congresswoman and my senators are doing to try to stop him at every point,” Ms Clinton said.

“While I disagree with the president … I think my family ... is being really well represented. But if that were to change, if my city councillor were to retire, if my congresswoman were to retire, my senators, and I thought that I could make a positive impact, then I think I would really have to ask my answer to that question [of whether to run for office].

“For me, it’s a definite no now but it’s a definite maybe in the future because who knows what the future is going to bring?”

Ms Clinton also addressed her mother's loss in the presidential race and the effect it had on her family.

"She just has continued to persist forward in trying to have a positive impact in politics and outside politics in the way that I have seen her do my entire life," she said.

"I'm not remotely surprised that she hasn't pulled the covers over her head because that's just not who my mum is."

Ms Clinton, who was 12 years old when her father went into the White House, talked about how critics poked fun at her appearance and referred to her as a dog.

“I feel incredibly protective of Barron Trump, who is now 12 years old, the same age that I was,” she said.

“I disagree with his father on everything but people have made fun of him [Barron], bullied him, for his appearance, or for him being more private. Equally, I have no patience for that because he’s a child and he deserves a childhood as every child does.”

Her defence of the youngest of the Trump children follows a torrent of memes mocking his facial expressions and accusing him of looking bored on inauguration day.

Ms Clinton, who is now 38, works for the Clinton Foundation after finishing several academic degrees.

She also told the book festival there needed to be “more stories centred on women and told by women about women who have persisted.”

"Still today the majority of children’s content, whether in picture books or cartoons, are centred about boys," she said.

"This means most girls are defined by their relationship to the male characters - someone’s sister or friend. They aren’t the hero of the story.”