I’ve been there and done that and here’s my suggestion. I painted an antique refrigerator coppertone (originally white) and it lasted for many years. I used epoxy paint for the coppertone color.
First remove the rust as much as possible. A good application of grease (petroleum jelly, or lard) then rub with salt and a rag. Sand lightly with a light sandpaper or a 0000 brillo pad. Now clean well and dry thoroughly. Set the refrigerator on a large dropcloth or a couple of layers of newspapers. Tape the gasket with masking tape. Use rustoleum for a base coat and 2 coats is better than one. When that has dried apply fininshing coat and you will be proud of your new looking refrigerator. I’ve used spray paints (also rustoleum brands) for several applications on metal and they are very nice in appearance and protective of further rusting. One landlord wrote me a glowing letter of reference because I used the above techniques to “imporve his property) on metal kitchen cabinets. Good Luck. Gigi