Donald Trump is a popular man. Love him or hate him, you likely have a strong opinion. Since he announced his candidacy on June 16, 2015, there have been endless pundit predictions stating he has no chance as a viable candidate. Now, in 2016, Trump has become a regular frontrunner in the polls in spite of the critics.

Whether you think Trump’s proposed policies are a good idea or are outright scary, he speaks his mind and tells people what he thinks—without a trace of political correctness. For many who are not focusing on the substance of what he is actually saying, it is a breath of fresh air because they finally have a political candidate who doesn’t mince words.

Although Trump is still the man to beat in the polls for the Republican field, it does not mean that he has been accepted by the Republican establishment. Some of his stiffest criticism is coming from his own party, the GOP.

Former Presidential candidates like Mitt Romney and John McCain have recently come out to attack Trump. But what are they actually going to accomplish in doing so? Both Romney and McCain lost in their bids for the presidency, and they did so in the midst of accusations from their base that they were too politically correct in their criticism (or lack thereof) of Barack Obama. They are being far more critical of Trump than they ever were of Obama. GOP voters want a fighter.

As the GOP is trying to circle the wagons around their preferred candidates (i.e. anyone but Trump), they risk unintentionally pushing more people toward him. Even if Trump lacks substance on his policy ideas, people are fed up with the establishment Republicans’ lack of fight on various issues.

Many people who comprise the Republican base are likely to run the opposite direction when they hear men like Romney and McCain speak. It does not mean they are wrong, but rather that they are irrelevant to many voters. After all, they had their chance and failed.

It is going to take more than some stale Republicans to divert the Trump freight train from running away with the GOP nomination. The more they criticize him, the more he ridicules them. Every time that happens, his stock seems to go up.