 -- Speaking at a high-dollar, celebrity-attended fundraiser in Los Angeles Thursday, President Obama predicted Donald Trump won’t win the presidency in November.

"I recognize that there is a deep obsession right now about Mr. Trump. And one of you pulled me aside and squeezed me hard and said, 'Tell me ... that Mr. Trump is not succeeding you!' And I said, 'Mr. Trump's not succeeding me,'" the president said Thursday.

Obama also shared an unusual bit of praise for the Republican front-runner and his rival Texas Senator Ted Cruz, saying the two GOP candidates should be thanked for expressing the sentiments felt by some in the Republican Party.

“Mr. Trump has actually done a service as Mr. Cruz is doing a service and that is laying bare, unvarnished some of the nonsense that we have been dealing with in Congress on a daily basis. People act as if these folks are outliers but they are not!” the president said. “We should thank Mr. Trump and Mr. Cruz for just being honest that this is how we're thinking these days, or not thinking these days. But it gives you a sense of what's at stake in this election.

"Even if I am not president, and contrary to the assertions of some, I will continue to be a citizen, and I care deeply about what happens next so let's get going. Let's get to work,” he added.

The president’s remarks came at a fundraiser hosted by Alan Horn, the chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, and Cindy Horn at their home in Los Angeles. Several celebrities, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brad Hall, Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts attended the fundraiser benefiting the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.