Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told The New York Times that Republican candidate Donald Trump can win if he's "willing to make real change."

"He has gotten himself to the edge of the mountain, he can get himself to the top of the mountain, but to do that he has to be willing to make real change," Gingrich said in an interview on Monday, though he made sure to specify that he wasn't trying to criticize Trump.

"He has to decide that the presidency is worth drilling into," Gingrich said, referring to Trump's behavior, such as his recent Twitter storm over former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, and his lack of preparation for the first debate against Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.

In an opinion piece for Fox News Monday, Gingrich argued that the media was pushing the story on Trump and Machado to support Clinton.

"Machado got two sentences from Hillary in the debate, and three days of saturation coverage from the elite media," he wrote. "With the possible exception of Eisenhower, nobody in modern times has become president without making" important changes in their approach.

GOP strategist Ryan Williams agreed with Gingrich, telling Politico on Monday that Trump "has been gaining ground in both national and battleground state polls for several weeks, but now his momentum has been blunted and undecided voters are souring on his campaign.

"There is even more pressure on him to turn things around by delivering a commanding performance at the second debate. He desperately needs it," Williams added.

"I really want him to understand that he can win this," Gingrich said, calling Trump his own worst enemy. "He is the one person who can beat him — not Hillary."