Here's why this is a political issue to me. There are a great many things we don't know about COVID-19, but we do know a couple of basic steps that will dramatically reduce the spread of the virus in the U.S. However, certain political leaders--people to whom significant portions of the public look for guidance--have belittled those measures, which--like it or not--has led many people to ignore them. That has the predictable outcome of worsening the spread of the virus, i.e. killing more Americans.
I can't imagine this same thing happening at any other time during my lifetime--and it is absolutely the result of political leadership.
One person could have done one very basic thing at any time between February and now, which would have dramatically reduced the death toll in this country: embrace the medical consensus on the best way to reduce the transmission of the disease by (1) wearing masks; and (2) reducing unnecessary social interaction. If that one person had done this, the results would have been significantly less dire. No, COVID-19 wouldn't have gone away, and yes, Americans would still be dying, but at nowhere near the rate we've had.
This is a political issue because one specific individual made it one. And now--I think--he will pay the political consequence. Unfortunately, that can't bring back the tens of thousands of people who died for his vanity.