I wouldn't even call it a conspiracy.

Cohen testified before Congress and said he never wanted to win - that he saw the primaries and election as a marketing strategy for him.

"Donald Trump is a man who ran for office to make his brand great, not to make our country great," Cohen told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee. "He had no desire or intention to lead this nation, only to market himself and to build his wealth and power."

"Mr. Trump would often say this campaign was going to be the greatest infomercial in political history," Cohen said in his opening remarks. "He never expected to win the primary. He never expected to win the general election. The campaign for him was always a marketing opportunity."

Trump Tower Moscow is another curious element. It was a project that Trump, Cohen, and Giuliani consistently lied about, and that Cohen was even charged over. Despite conflicts of interest and political ramifications (something a potential candidate would be very wary of pursuing), the project was pursued up until June, 2016. Talks dissolved as the election neared and Trump's political chances and exposure grew.

On the weeks before election day, his campaign staff was down to a skeleton crew and his aides were hopeful for monetary incentives after the expected loss:

As the campaign came to an end, Trump himself was sanguine. His ultimate goal, after all, had never been to win. “I can be the most famous man in the world,” he had told his aide Sam Nunberg at the outset of the race. His longtime friend Roger Ailes, the former head of Fox News, liked to say that if you want a career in television, first run for president. Now Trump, encouraged by Ailes, was floating rumors about a Trump network. It was a great future. He would come out of this campaign, Trump assured Ailes, with a far more powerful brand and untold opportunities.

“This is bigger than I ever dreamed of,” he told Ailes a week before the election. “I don’t think about losing, because it isn’t losing. We’ve totally won.”

The results on election night were a shock to everyone, including him. He looked devastated. Melania reportedly broke down in tears, although she denied it.

And the rest is history. Ironically, he had incentive to remain President since controlling the executive and hiring AGs gave him enormous defense legally-speaking.