Donald Trump just suffered another legal setback—and this one is as symbolic as it gets.
A federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to restore Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, rejecting an emergency request from the venue’s Trump-appointed board after finding it failed to show any real evidence that removing his name would cause serious harm.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said the board simply didn’t back up its dramatic claims that taking Trump’s name off the building would cost the Kennedy Center hundreds of millions of dollars.
In its appeal, the board argued that wealthy donors had pledged money specifically because Trump’s name was attached to the venue and warned those gifts could disappear if the branding wasn’t restored. It also claimed the center’s bylaws might require some donations to be returned.
The appeals court wasn’t buying it. In a brief order, the judges said the Kennedy Center offered “no specific facts or evidence” showing it would suffer financial damage if Trump’s name remained off the building. The court also pointed to the lower court’s finding that there was “no proof” current or future donations depended on Trump’s name being displayed.
According to Forbes, the judges also rejected the board’s argument about potentially returning donations, noting it wasn’t even raised before the district court. Under long-standing appellate rules, arguments introduced for the first time on appeal generally don’t get considered unless there are exceptional circumstances—and the board didn’t show any.
Trump’s name was removed from the Kennedy Center in the early morning hours of June 13 after a district judge ordered it taken down. Since then, a large tarp has covered the spot where the president’s name once appeared, leaving a conspicuous blank space outside the building.
