POLITICS
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio says he won’t be following RFK Jr.’s ‘crazy diet’
Saman ShafiqUSA TODAY
Aug. 12, 2026, 3:33 p.m. ET
Marco Rubio will not be following Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet anytime soon, he recently joked
“(It is) a crazy diet,” the secretary of state said about RFK Jr.’s eating habits while appearing on “The Katie Miller Podcast,” which was published on Aug. 11. “This is a diet that consists of eating sauerkraut and meat. This is not a sustainable thing; like you can’t just walk into it.”
When his wife, Jeanette Rubio, interjected, saying RFK Jr. can “sustain” it, Rubio remarked that his Trump administration colleague “has to travel with coolers of sauerkraut.”
“I’m not gonna travel the world with a cooler full of sauerkraut,” Rubio exclaimed. “It’s ridiculous. I can’t do it. It’s not sustainable.”
When Miller asked whether Rubio supports MAHA (Make America Healthy Again), the lawmaker said he’s “in favor of MAHA” and believes “people should be healthy”; however, his wife seemed to disagree with his comments
“He is completely not,” Jeanette Rubio said before revealing that her husband loves Pop-Tarts, fast food and has a major sweet tooth. “Anything that’s sugar, you will take it down.”
‘Greatest American innovation’
While Rubio did not disagree with his wife, he defended Pop-Tarts and explained why he cannot follow an RFK Jr.-style diet
“The Pop-Tart is one of the great American innovations in the history of the world,” Rubio said
Rubio, however, later argued that he would not go out of his way to get Pop-Tarts, but if made available, he would eat them. At the same time, he said that though his wife makes delicious breakfasts, particularly scrambled eggs, “I go for the Pop-Tart because it’s much quicker. It’s much more efficient.”
“They are very reliable because you’re talking about a 30-second process,” Rubio said. “Bang. Bang. And then it comes out. It’s ready.”
Keto diet turned into near ‘psychotic event’
The secretary of state also revealed that he once attempted to do the Keto diet, focusing only on protein, only for the effort to turn into a “near psychotic” event for him
“If I did (the Keto diet) in this job, I would be like, ‘Mr. President, we must bomb, you know, Paraguay,’ and (he’s) like, ‘Why?’ ‘I don’t know. I’m just really mad I haven’t had any sugar,'” Rubio said. “(My) point is that I’m not against this diet. I’m not asking that we ban it. I encourage people to try it; I’m just saying it’s not for everyone.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, under RFK Jr., released a new food pyramid on Jan. 7 emphasizing full-fat dairy, protein and “healthy fats.”
The new guidelines emphasize food items historically recommended in moderation, specifically red meat, whole-fat dairy and several types of fats, including trans fats. These categories align with the messaging RFK Jr. has favored as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement
What’s on Marco Rubio’s playlist?
Snack and food choices were not the only things Rubio revealed about himself in the interview. The statesman, who earlier went viral for DJing at a family wedding, also gave an insight into his playlist and music choices
“I haven’t been able to update my playlist, but I love a lot of electronic music because it fuses classical increasingly,” Rubio said. “I like a lot of remixes.”
Rubio added that he listens to a “little bit of everything,” except for perhaps country music, which his wife loves. Rubio asserted he doesn’t hate it and is not anti-country music, “but that’s not my thing.” He explained that he finds the genre to be sad, with most of the songs about someone “whose wife and dog left them,” much to his wife’s disapproval
On who picks the playlist in the car, Rubio said he doesn’t have time anymore to listen to the radio because he’s always on the phone, “but generally she’ll decide irrespective of who’s driving.”
“Which violates one of the great world rules of the universe, right?” Rubio said. “Like the driver gets to, but not if you’re with her. She gets to decide what you’re going to listen to.”
While Jeanette disagreed with her husband, Rubio said: “She says my music gives her a headache.”
Marco and Jeanette Rubio have been married since 1998 and have four children
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7
