After Questioning Harris’s Race, Trump Tries to Walk It Back at Debate

In late July, Donald J. Trump said at a gathering of Black journalists in Chicago that “all of a sudden,” Vice President Kamala Harris had “made a turn and she became a Black person.” On Tuesday, standing feet from Ms. Harris on the debate stage, Mr. Trump said “whatever she wants to be is OK with me.” But his attempt to take back his racial attack didn’t stick. Minutes later, when pressed by moderators to further explain the remark, he went on to say that “all I can say is, I read where she was not Black, that she put out.” He continued: “And I’ll say that, and then I read that she was Black. And that’s OK. Either one was OK with me. That’s up to her.” Mr. Trump’s initial remarks this summer were a flashpoint for the Trump campaign. The former president was slammed with criticism, jeopardizing an opportunity to make gains amid a Black electorate that had been softening in its support for Democrats. Ms. Harris has since made strides with Black voters. On Tuesday, she used her response to make an extended appeal for less divisive politics. She said it was a “tragedy that we have...