I don't disagree with you that the government is not trustworthy, but it is possible to both perceive it as not trustworthy and have it actually be trustworthy

I don't disagree with you that the government is not trustworthy, but it is possible to both perceive it as not trustworthy and have it actually be trustworthy (if not flawless) and have it be totally horrible, but appear totally trustworthy. We should probably try to find the real measure - preferably one that isn't based on recency bias, because the news will always print the worst they can get[0]. [0]: It is important to face the discrimination African Americans feel, and deal with the US police problems, but I have no doubt those problems are a lot smaller today than they were in 1970.