New Hampshire GOP walks back alleged plans to keep Trump off the ballot after backlash

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlon said on Monday that the state would not be seeking to remove Trump’s name from the primary ballot.

Scanlon told NBC News he is "not seeking to remove any names from the presidential primary ballot, and I have not said that I am seeking to remove any names from the presidential primary ballot," after hundreds of calls from Trump supporters flooded his office on Monday.

Scanlon said he does expect there to be challenges to Trump’s qualification to run in New Hampshire under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which says a person cannot hold a public office is they "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against" the United States.

The phone calls came after Charlie Kirk spoke out against the recent spate of articles prior from The Atlantic, New York Times, and other outlets saying thst elections are bad for democracy and that Trump should be knocked off the ballot. The articles claim that Trump should be prohibited from being on the ballot by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which was drafted to keep Confederates from becoming politically elected leaders after the Civil War.

This week, Trump-endorsed New Hampshire senate Candidate Corky Messner said he had spoken with Scanlon about the 14th Amendment in relation to whether Trump was allowed on the ballot.

Kirk said "number one, we obviously need to sue, and we need to make as much noise as possible." He then called on his audience to call Scanlon’s office.

"I don’t care if you live in New Hampshire or not. It should be a nationwide movement of people contacting because this impacts everybody," Kirk said, later adding, "We’re gonna break the phone lines and say, 'Who do you think you are for even entertaining this?’"

According to NBC, Messner, Scanlan said, "made a presentation to me about what he is thinking in terms of making a challenge to the former president’s qualifications.” 

“I listened, just as I would listen to anybody that wants to come in with issues related to any candidate’s qualifications one way or the other.

"I intend to be prepared by seeking appropriate legal input so that when the time comes to make a decision on those challenges, to qualifications, that I can respond appropriately with the facts," Scanlan continued.

Messner said that his reason for bringing up the amendment was "purely as a constitutional conservative," noting that he believes it’s in "everybody’s interest if this gets to the U.S. Supreme Court as quickly as possible."

Messner said Scanlan reportedly told him "that without some judicial guidance, that he really didn’t feel like he can make a decision regarding the 14th Amendment, Section 3. And I agree with him."

"The Supreme Court may decide that, you know, in fact, Section 3 does not disqualify Donald Trump," Messner said. "And that would be good for [Trump] that the air would be clear then."