This afternoon's Liveline confirmed, as if confirmation were needed, that the divisions in the politics of the United States, particularly the deep rift caused by the ascension of Donald Trump to the presidency, will take many, many years to heal. Indeed, it is difficult to see how two sides, one so entrenched in its support of the 45th president, the other with such deep antipathy towards the man, can ever come together.

Making matters worse, the extraordinary onslaught from the new administration in Washington in relation to the nature and size of the Women’s March on Washington, which took place on Saturday, has raised the temperature even more, and some of those passions boiled over on the Irish airwaves this afternoon.

Jo, a supporter of Donald Trump from North Dakota, was not impressed by some of the women demonstrating in Washington. A touch too déclassé, you might say.

"You are not doing yourself a favour when you dress up in a costume of a female body part … You can get your point across by not having to wear a vagina on your body. It’s incredibly crude. It’s not classy.”

Jo, who attended on Saturday, was insistent that she saw several women dressed in full body costumes of vaginas attending the march, something that was completely missed by another marcher who was present in Washington, Irishman Paddy Coleman. Although, as pictures of the march attest, the pink “pussy hat”, that symbol of female defiance driven by the Pussy Hat Project, proved hugely popular.

Vincent, another caller to the show, was very much on the other side of the fence from Jo in relation to The Donald. But he was keen to get off the subject of risqué costumes and female genitalia.

“I really Joe didn’t come on your program to talk about vaginas and genitalia. I am absolutely speechless as to what that has to do with the present state of American politics.”

But, asked Joe Duffy, after this weekend and the shenanigans over the inauguration speech, the visit to the CIA, the row over the size of the crowd, is he more fed up or less fed up at the prospect of President Donald Trump?

“I have absolute total confidence in the American system of government, the checks and balances. Donald Trump is going to be a joke for the next four years. A joke.”

Well, that’s pretty unequivocal.

To listen to the full show, click here.