There's actually quite a lot to admire about Obama. Not saying he was the greatest president by any means, but he is quite an inspiring story.
As for trusting the government, it's a mixed bag. Note the next line where it said Derek started drinking tap water. This is what I think he meant.
I work all week for a paycheck, which I deposit in a bank run by strangers, and trust that I can take my money out at any time, because that bank is federally regulated. I drive on roads and bridges built by federal and local governments without worrying if they're going to collapse under me. I eat USDA-inspected meat without worrying that they're going to poison me. I check the NOAA website every morning when I wake up, and watch James Spann's vlog, which relies on weather models maintained by our government and others. I drink the water that comes out of my tap confident it won't kill me.
On the other hand, I do not trust the government to be efficient, consistently wise or particularly intelligent. I don't trust them to rise above politics and do the right thing. I don't trust them to identify problems and solve them before they get out of control.
The government has many flaws. It doesn't work the way it ideally should, but it does function in a basic sense. I'd like it to work better, but I trust it to do more good than harm.