Nicola Sturgeon has said opposition to Donald Trump is about policies rather than his personality and that reports he "totally hates" her only leave her amused.

The First Minister said she had been a "wee bit tickled" by comments made by a former UK Government aide that the US president has been "bitching" about her to Theresa May.

She said: "I find it hard to believe that the president of the United States with all the big important issues that he has to deal with on a daily basis, finds the time to rant about me on the telephone to Theresa May

"If it is true, I suppose I should take it as a compliment. I certainly don't spend that much time talking about him."

The Huffington Post quoted the anonymous former aide as saying: "He totally hates Nicola Sturgeon. He spends lots of his time bitching about Sturgeon. He loathes Salmond too. But why spend so much time talking about Sturgeon in a phone call with Theresa May?"

Speaking after heading Scotland's largest pride march as the first honorary grand marshal of Glasgow Pride, the First Minister said the parade had been organised before details of the president's stay in Scotland were finalised.

She said: "I've not refused to meet Donald Trump. If the opportunity arises to meet the president I will do that and I'm sure if the opportunity arises in the future we will have lots to talk about, including the close and very important links between our two countries.

"In democracies, it's also important to be able to focus also on where we perhaps disagree, and lots of people disagree with the policies of the Trump administration.

"It's not personal, it's about policies.

"Policies like pulling out of the climate change treaty, the treatment of minorities, the language about women, but also, and I think most importantly recently, the policy of separating migrant children from their parents.

"As in any relationship, it's important to have the ability to be honest as well and I think most people in America, just as most people in Scotland, would agree with that."