--- title: "Marco Rubio calls Pop-Tarts a 'great American innovation' on podcast" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/marco-rubio-calls-pop-tarts-a-great-american-innovation-on-podcast" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/marco-rubio-calls-pop-tarts-a-great-american-innovation-on-podcast" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/marco-rubio-calls-pop-tarts-a-great-american-innovation-on-podcast.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/marco-rubio-calls-pop-tarts-a-great-american-innovation-on-podcast" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-12T19:46:26.313Z" source_reported: "2026-08-12T19:04:11.790Z" updated: "2026-08-12T19:46:26.313Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-12T19:45:49.474005+00:00" --- # Marco Rubio calls Pop-Tarts a 'great American innovation' on podcast *The secretary of state mocked Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet while his wife teased his own junk food habits.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Named persons and specific day provided; no documents or figures cited. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Provides context, quotes speakers, includes names/dates, and notes future events. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Playful headline matches tone of body without excessive exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Marco Rubio appeared on the Katie Miller podcast on 11 August 2026 and called Pop-Tarts 'one of the great American innovations in the history of the world'. - Rubio mocked Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet, which includes sauerkraut, as 'crazy' during the same appearance. - Rubio’s wife, Jeanette, said on the podcast that he eats 'anything with sugar' and 'loves fast food'. - The Pop-Tarts Bowl college football game is scheduled for 29 December 2026, as reported by The Independent. Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, appeared on the Katie Miller podcast in Washington, D.C., on 11 August 2026. The podcast is hosted by the wife of Stephen Miller, a top White House aide. Rubio was joined by his wife, Jeanette, during the interview. Rubio praised Pop-Tarts during the podcast, calling them 'one of the great American innovations in the history of the world'. He described the foil packaging as part of their appeal. Jeanette Rubio interrupted to say her husband eats 'anything with sugar' and 'loves fast food'. The Independent reported that she added, 'You eat all the things you should not be eating. Every single thing.' Rubio also commented on the diet of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services. Kennedy’s diet reportedly includes sauerkraut and meat. Rubio joked that it was 'crazy' and 'unsustainable', saying Kennedy would need to 'travel the world with a cooler full of sauerkraut' to maintain it. The Independent reported that Kennedy has promoted a protein-heavy diet and has his own cooking show. ## What the coverage left out No centre-rated outlet ran this story. None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Rubio’s wife, Jeanette, criticised his diet during the podcast. The Independent was the only outlet to report that the Pop-Tarts Bowl, a college football game sponsored by the brand, is scheduled for 29 December 2026. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 29% (2) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 71% (5) 1 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-12T19:45:49.474005+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-12T20:00:37.476Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The two left-rated reports led on Rubio’s remarks about Pop-Tarts and his mockery of Kennedy’s diet. The Independent’s full report described Rubio’s praise for Pop-Tarts as an 'impassioned defense' of the snack. It quoted Rubio directly: 'The Pop-Tart is one of the great American innovations in the history of the world. If you think about it, it comes in this beautiful foil pack.' - The Independent also reported that Jeanette Rubio teased her husband for his junk food habits, quoting her as saying, 'You eat all the things you should not be eating. Every single thing.' Raw Story’s digest described Rubio as a 'Pop-Tart fiend' and said he 'torched the carnivore-and-fermented regime' associated with Kennedy. Neither left-rated report mentioned the Pop-Tarts Bowl college football game. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - All five right-rated digests led on Rubio’s mockery of Kennedy’s diet. Conservative Firing Line’s digest described Kennedy’s diet as including 'meat and fermented vegetables' and quoted Rubio’s remark that the combination was 'crazy'. Twitchy’s digest said Rubio 'dismisses RFK’s sauerkraut-meat diet' and 'praises Pop-Tarts'. - RedState’s digest framed Rubio’s remarks as 'comedy gold', saying he 'roasts Pete Hegseth’s arrogant cat and RFK’s meat cooler diet with sharp humor'. Bizpac Review and ussanews.com both described Kennedy’s diet as 'crazy' in their headlines. None of the right-rated digests mentioned Jeanette Rubio’s comments about her husband’s eating habits or the Pop-Tarts Bowl. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 1 - mixed: 4 - high: 1 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/12/rubio-has-hilarious-response-to-rfk-jr-s-crazy-diet-but-then-his-wife-exposes-his) — Rubio has hilarious response to RFK Jr.’s ‘crazy’ diet, but then his wife exposes his - [Bizpac Review](https://bizpacreview.com/2026/08/12/rubio-has-hilarious-response-to-rfk-jr-s-crazy-diet-but-then-his-wife-exposes-his-1654529) — Rubio has hilarious response to RFK Jr.’s ‘crazy’ diet, but then his wife exposes his - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/marco-rubio-pop-tarts-podcast-b3032008.html) — Rubio professes his love of Pop-Tarts and hails them as a ‘great American innovation’ - [Conservative Firing Line](https://conservativefiringline.com/pop-tarts-greatest-american-innovation-in-the-history-of-the-world) — Pop-Tarts: Greatest American Innovation in the History of the World ⋆ Conservative Firing Line - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/marco-rubio-2677692235) — Marco Rubio outed as Pop-Tart fiend who can't stomach RFK's 'coolers full of sauerkraut' - [Gazeta Do Povo](https://gazetadopovo.com.br/mundo/rival-lula-rubio-sobe-pesquisas-eleicao-2028-veja-perfil) — Read Profile of Marco Rubio, Trump's Secretary and Lula's Rival - [Twitchy](https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2026/08/12/marco-rubio-is-not-maha-n2431188) — Marco Rubio Declares He Is Not MAHA — RFK’s Sauerkraut-Meat Diet Is Crazy and Pop-Tarts Rule - [RedState](https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2026/08/12/rubio-delivers-comedy-gold-roasts-hegseths-arrogant-cat-and-rfks-sauerkraut-cooler-n2205505) — Rubio Delivers Comedy Gold: Roasts Hegseth’s Arrogant Cat and RFK’s Meat Cooler ## Questions **What did Marco Rubio say about Pop-Tarts?** Marco Rubio called Pop-Tarts 'one of the great American innovations in the history of the world' during an appearance on the Katie Miller podcast on 11 August 2026. He praised the foil packaging and defended the snack as an iconic breakfast treat, as reported by The Independent. **How did Marco Rubio describe Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diet?** Rubio joked that Kennedy’s diet, which includes sauerkraut and meat, was 'crazy' and 'unsustainable'. He said Kennedy would need to 'travel the world with a cooler full of sauerkraut' to maintain it, according to The Independent and digests from right-rated outlets. **What did Rubio’s wife say about his eating habits?** Jeanette Rubio said on the podcast that her husband eats 'anything with sugar' and 'loves fast food'. She added, 'You eat all the things you should not be eating. Every single thing,' as reported by The Independent. None of the right-rated digests mentioned her remarks. **Which outlets covered Rubio’s podcast appearance?** The story was covered by two left-rated outlets, The Independent and Raw Story, and five right-rated outlets: ussanews.com, Bizpac Review, Conservative Firing Line, Twitchy, and RedState. No centre-rated outlet ran the story. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/marco-rubio-calls-pop-tarts-a-great-american-innovation-on-podcast. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Marco Rubio calls Pop-Tarts a 'great American innovation' on podcast", https://mediabias.news/politics/marco-rubio-calls-pop-tarts-a-great-american-innovation-on-podcast