The demise of Lehman Brothers, the bailout of AIG, and the sale of Merrill Lynch in the span of a few days in 2008 unmasked the economy for what it was. These events heralded — or perhaps even triggered — the global financial crisis, but their impact was far greater than that. The events of 2008 brought angry Tea Partiers to Congress, and a new form of right-wing populism was born — paving the way for Donald Trump's presidency.