Newt Gingrich Says Trump Can Win if He Makes ‘Real Change’

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/us/politics/newt-gingrich-trump.html

Version 0 of 1.

The former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a top adviser to and supporter of Donald J. Trump, is openly pleading with him to modulate his style, saying that he is at risk of gravely wounding his candidacy.

In a telephone interview, Mr. Gingrich said that Mr. Trump faces the single greatest test of his campaign in the week ahead, after ending the last one in a tailspin following his first debate with Hillary Clinton.

“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,” said Mr. Gingrich, who emphasized that he was not criticizing Mr. Trump.

Mr. Gingrich referred specifically to Mr. Trump continuing to attack a Miss Universe winner from two decades ago, Alicia Machado, including through a string of Twitter posts sent in the pre-dawn hours on Friday.

“He has to decide that the presidency is worth drilling into,” Mr. Gingrich said of Mr. Trump’s famously intractable style of behavior, and his relatively informal approach to debate preparation before facing Mrs. Clinton the first time.

“With the possible exception of Eisenhower, nobody in modern times has become president without making” major changes to their approach, he said.

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