Why did Americans stop trusting the experts and government to get the job done?

Americans' distrust in government stems from historical events like Vietnam and Watergate, but was significantly accelerated during the Trump administration. Trump and his subordinates consistently messaged that government was untrustworthy, spreading falsehoods daily until people began believing 'bonkers' conspiracies about their own institutions. This messaging was particularly effective after the pandemic, when skepticism toward experts was heightened. The ground was deliberately prepared through persistent misinformation, causing people to believe in deep state conspiracies and other nonsense about government operations, fundamentally eroding public trust in institutions.