First Among Billionaires – Berlusconi.
The Guardian Weekend 28/09/2002

The Trump prototype, Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy. He had at least formed his own political party; but he was a populist, a businessman, the richest man in Italy, and had the monopoly on Italy’s TV networks. He came to power on the strongest right wing party since Mussolini and declared he would always support U.S policy whatever it was. Like Trump, many of his supporters thought it was time to have a businessman running Italy, talking tough. .