President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday predicted the GOP could win liberal states like California and New York in the next election — and mused about running a fourth time. 

‘I suspect I won’t be running again unless you do something else, unless you say he’s so good we’ve got to figure something out,’ he joked to a gathering of House Republicans ahead of their closed-door leadership elections in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. 

‘It’s nice to win. It’s always nice to win. A lot of good friends in this room. So, you know, we had, like, historic kind of numbers, especially for the president,’ Trump said. ‘But the House did very well, and I think we’re responsible for helping you.’

Trump’s appearance came as lawmakers returned to Washington for a lame duck session before the next term. Republicans are poised to keep their narrow majority in the House, and have won control of the Senate, granting them far greater ease next term at getting conservative legislation to the president’s desk.

Trump went on: ‘We won, which is great because Republicans aren’t supposed to be winning the majority.’ 

‘We won it every way — all seven swing states by a lot … New Jersey is right, just a few points. It’s got them very worried because they said, well, next time if we go up even a fraction of what we went up, you’re going to win New York, you’re going to win new Jersey, you’re going to win places that weren’t winnable. California too.’