The Trust of the People
People protesting
Historically, American people would always trust the government and believe in the things that the government told them, but people were shocked when the truth about Watergate was revealed, and immediately, everyone started asking questions on government behaviors. This resulted in the amount of trust towards the government going down significantly. Through the Watergate Scandal, the stories from the president’s office were full of lies and confusion, and people became more cautious about what the government told them. "It was a transforming time for America, and it was surprising to read and hear about what the Washington Post uncovered about Watergate and the White House. We were not hearing it from anywhere else”, described by Paula Pugh, an American who lived during the Watergate era. Political leaders lied to the public about very important things. The people didn’t know if they should still believe what the politicians said. By the end of the Watergate Scandal, about 40% of American people were not sure if they should still have their faith on their government. Like Neal Smith, a native who served in Congress from 1959 to 1994, said “After Watergate, people didn’t believe their public officials.” The Watergate Scandal worried Americans when Gerald Ford took office after Nixon resigned, because they didn’t know how Gerald Ford was going to act while being the president. Today, many Americans rely on news media to tell them the truth on domestic and foreign issues, since the government didn’t do so during the Watergate Scandal. Overall, people still have doubts on their government even though the Watergate scandal has passed 40 years.