Things aren’t going well for Donald Trump right now. Hours after the president learned he was the subject of an impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, Trump was also the subject of a remarkable barrage of attacks: from fellow Republicans taking part in a GOP presidential debate.

Two of his rivals for the Republican nomination – both are almost certain not to defeat Trump – took to the stage to decry the commander-in-chief as a “child”, a “dictator”, a “horrible human being”, and much more besides.

There was at least some good news for Trump: one of the candidates said he would not sentence the president to death.

For all the tough talk, Tuesday’s bellicose event was likely the least of Trump’s worries. While the Democratic presidential debates have been a grand spectacle, with millions of people watching the candidates duke it out in grand theaters and looming convention centers, the GOP debate was less of an extravaganza.

Half of the four Republican candidates didn’t turn up, and only 50 people came out to watch. The debate was live-streamed on Facebook, where an average of 900 people tuned in through the night.

And where the Democratic debates drew hundreds of reporters from around the globe, just 12 journalists came to observe the GOP tête-à-tête, held at Business Insider’s office in downtown Manhattan. Three of the 12 were students, working on a university project.

The no-show by Donald Trump (Business Insider said the president “did not respond” to their invite) and former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford (“declined due to scheduling”), left just two candidates to debate each other, in a small studio in the corner of Business Insider’s office.

Those two were former Illinois congressman and rightwing radio host Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld. But rather than debate each other, the night turned into a steady stream of full-throated attacks on Trump, who Democrats had hours earlier said was the subject of an impeachment inquiry.