Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says comparisons between himself and Donald Trump are 'obvious'

Billionaire politicians likened for 'huge egos' and 'fondness for locker-room bragging'

Mr Berlusconi and Mr Trump have been likened to each other for their billionaire businessman statuses and their rejection of mainstream politics (AFP/Getty Images)

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said comparisons that have been made between himself and Donald Trump are “obvious”.

Mr Berlusconi, a media tycoon who served as Italian Prime Minister in four governments before he was convicted of tax fraud, has been widely likened to Mr Trump for both men's billionaire businessman statuses and rejection of mainstream politics.

Asked what they had in common, 80-year-old Mr Berlusconi told Italian daily Corriere della Sera: “There are some obvious similarities even though my story as an entrepreneur is very different to Trump's, whom I've never met.”

Like the American President-elect, Mr Berlusconi achieved power by portraying himself as an alternative to mainstream politics. The men have also been likened for their “huge egos” and “fondness for locker-room bragging”, as well as their strikingly similar looks.

The tax affairs of both men - who have been dubbed "Trumposconi" by Italian comedians - have also come under scrutiny, with Mr Berusconi was declared a tax fraud in 2013 and Mr Trump admitted to have taken advantage of tax loopholes to avoid paying federal income tax earlier this year.

In the same interview, the centre-right politician did not directly welcome Mr Trump's victory, but explained why he thought Mrs Clinton had been defeated, arguing that Mr Trump “was elected by all Americans weary of an old political order”.

Americans had, Mr Berlusconi suggested, made a “mistake typical of all the left around the world” in “thinking that “'political correctness' was the way to keep close to people's needs.”