Even as COVID-19 threatened millions of lives, people in many countries resisted public health recommendations. In a cross-national study of pandemic response, we demonstrate that political trust across different institutions predicts support for policies to manage the health risks. We disaggregate political trust, creating separate measures for “partisan” and “nonpartisan” controlled institutions. Our empirical strategy utilizes data from Eurobarometer, Afrobarometer, and Arab Barometer surveys across 57 countries. Tests of a “vertical trust” hypothesis demonstrate that trust in partisan and nonpartisan institutions predict support for pandemic restrictions and willingness to get vaccinated. Interestingly, the strength of the relationships varies across and within countries. Tests of a “contingent solidarity” hypothesis reveal widespread politicization of the pandemic by democratic and autocratic incumbents alike. We conclude by exploring how infusing neutral, nonpartisan institutions with subjective political narratives stokes mistrust in “scientific authority” and harms democracy.