without the president advice or the president's agreement. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: ricardo martinelliom a u.s. diplomat described in a leaked cable having a limited attention span and making strong impulsive decisions had much in common with the future president of the united states. like trump, martinelli also built himself a lucrative real estate empire. owned panama's largest chain of supermarkets, but money wasn't enough. martinelli wanted power, too, why he decided to run for president. and this man is head of the panamanian branch of transparency international. finding many similarities with candidate trump. >> lack of experience in government management, campaigning on the ticket of the outsider. >> reporter: in 2009, martinelli ran a colorful campaign. [ applause ] his antics earned him the nickname, loco "the crazy one." a name he embraced. >> created a slogan during the campaign. "we the crazy people are the majority." >> reporter: and they were. martinelli won by a landslide on the promise of a better future for panama. for a while it seemed he'd kept his word. the economy

a billionaire, ricardo mart martinelli was a perfect match for donald trump. >> you're my friend.or. >> and he was first to realize his political ambition by the time the trump ocean club opened in 2011, he was president of panama. his very presence sent a message, this was a well-connected project. >> he liked to mention every time that he has a very good business relation with trump. this man said the trump building could not have opened it's doors without the blessing of the president. did martinelli help get this building off the ground? >> sure. >> you can do this thing without the agreement. >> ricardo whom a u.s. diplomat droibed as having a limited attention span and making strong, impulsive decisions, had much in common with the future president of the united states. he also built himself an empire. he owned the largest chain of supermarkets. but money wasn't enough. he wanted power too which is why he decided to run for president. she is head of the branch of transparency international. she found many similarities with candidate trump. >> the lack of experience in govern