People are like knives. Whether the grindstone of life grinds them down or sharpens them up depends on what kind of steel they are made of. – Anon.

Trump haters have gone manic. Almost every day headlines describe another indictment in another location. The free publicity must be worth millions. Like all narcissists, the haters believe everyone is like them. Surely, they think, people will say, “With all those charges, some must be true. Trump must be the worst crook since John Dillinger.” The haters forget that Dillinger became a sort of folk hero. With all the resources of the FBI and local police arrayed against him, he still continued doing his thing.

The same is true of Trump. As charges against him multiply endlessly, the football penalty of “piling on” comes to mind. Americans characteristically root for the underdog, especially if they feel he is being treated unfairly. And Trump’s poll numbers keep rising.

But if, instead, the haters had done nothing, what then? Trump would slowly have faded from public view. Yes, he is a colorful character, even charismatic. But I believe that even he would not have survived a campaign of nothing. Being ignored might have driven him to more outlandish statements, thereby diminishing his popularity.

Instead, Trump is like the sci-fi villain who absorbs negative energy and uses it to gain strength. But the haters hate too much to see this. The result is hard to predict, but it surely will be interesting. If I had to bet, it would be that Trump will end up a scary sharp knife that will cut the haters deeply. That’s what you get with high-quality steel.