Donald Trump would "lose badly" to Hillary Clinton if the general election were today instead of November, said Ed Rollins, chairman of the pro-Trump Great America PAC, urging the Republican nominee to more directly challenge his opponent.

“If we’re sitting here three weeks from now after Labor Day and it’s in the same position, we’re gonna have a hard, uphill battle,” the super PAC leader told Laura Ingraham on her show Wednesday, according to audio posted by BuzzFeed News. “He’d lose badly today."

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Trump "has a chance," Rollins said, praising campaign manager Kellyanne Conway as "a great talent" and campaign CEO Steve Bannon as "a very effective communicator."

"And I think he has a new shot here, but he's got to drive it, and he's got to talk about the kinds of things that matter to Americans," Rollins said. "And you've got to shift it back to her. So far, it’s been all about him, and, kind of, with his ego he kind of likes that. But at the end of the day, it’s got to be about her. He’s got to make her the unacceptable alternative to this country and that he's the real leader."

Trump must drive the message that "he's the leader, she's not; he's a decision maker, she's not" and must be the one who says "I have plans to get people back to work, I have plans to fight ISIS, the military wants me as the commander in chief."

"Those are very powerful things, and that's what he needs to drive," Rollins added.