It's fairly obvious to me that the CDC never had a chance at public trust in the first place, because public agencies don't get to have trust in the 21st century, period. Honestly - name a public agency that's widely trusted and respected, on a bipartisan basis, and I'll give you a public agency that people don't pay attention to or care about.

The moment the CDC came into the national spotlight in March 2020, that was it for their bipartisan reputation as a trustworthy agency.

Part of public trust is believing in good faith decision making, which implies that mistakes are seen positively or neutrally in hindsight - part of the process of learning, not evidence of corruption or gross ineptitude.

When is the last time a major US policy mistake didn't result in a political field day?

The CDC never stood a chance, if we're being honest.