Wingnut Repubs love to portray this as a “trial” in which Trump is being denied “due process.” Yet in any criminal court, simply refusing to show up or send representation at all because you’ve got other obligations that fall on the same date as your trial would not earn your any sympathy at all with the court or the jury. Trump should consider himself very lucky that this isn’t a criminal court, else he’d be getting hauled back in cuffs after Nadler issued a bench warrant for his arrest.