Ultimately Trump decided not to run, but promised Cohen he would do it in the next election cycle—which they continously talked about in the years leading up to 2015.
Q: What was your campaign role?
A: I wasn't going to be part of it, just going to be a surrogate—someone who speaks on behalf of the candidate and defends him in the press. Speaks to the press, provides color, but not as a member of the campaign, but rather as an outside person.
thepoliticalcat