The double standard is unreal:
No double standard. Lyin' Ted runs on the ticket of an honest, evangelical conservative. Trump does not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTtD-2_VgTQ (All of Trump's flip flops on 1 convenient video)
Although I'm sure you'll ring out the old political excuse: he's simply "evolving".
There are a lot of issues where a hardline stance isn't the best one. Hence independent. His statements make perfect sense if you keep in mind that he's an independent who prioritizes some topics and doesn't much care about others. He's strong on immigration, political correctness, radical Islamic terrorism. Lyin' Ted is strong on abortion (who cares) but weak on immigration, PC culture, radical Islam.