I disagree. I don’t think your reading of the phrase to is correct and there is no evidence that the Supreme Court has ever adopted such a position or for that matter any other court. If the Supreme Court had wanted to say that such a person is a “natural born citizen” it would have said so; instead it said that such a person is as much a “citizen” as a natural born person is. It thus deliberately contrasted the two different phrases. Your interpretation is strained.
While you may disagree with me on my reading of Wong, it would appear that Justice Roberts, by the fact that he delivered the Oath or Office to Obama, holds the same view as me.
But that would depend on what your definition of “As Much As.”
Again “As Much As” means “Equal to.”
So for example 8 is Equal to 4+4.
Or, 8 is As Much As 4+4.
So the sentence:
“The child of an alien, if born in the country, is as much a citizen as the natural born child of a citizen, and by operation of the same principle. “
Is the very same as:
“The child of an alien, if born in the country, is Equal To a citizen as the natural born child of a citizen, and by operation of the same principle. “