Fact Check: Viral video of Netherlands PM mopping floor is not from G20 summit

A video showing Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte mopping the floor is viral on social media. Users claim that Rutte cleaned the floor after he spilt tea during the recently concluded G20 summit held in New Delhi.

An X user shared the video and wrote, “It happened in G-20 summit New Delhi 2023, The PM of Netherlands had a Teacup in his hand, fell by mistake. He didn't call volunteers to clean up. Please see what happened next. This is a lesson to our Nation's Political People.”

Several X users shared the video claiming the same. (Click here and here to see the archive of the posts.)

Fact Check

The video is from 2018 and shows Netherlands PM Rutte cleaning his spilt drink in a lobby of the Dutch Parliament building.

We ran a relevant keyword search on YouTube and came across a video published by Euronews on June 5, 2018, which showed Rutte accidentally dropping the coffee cup on the floor and subsequently cleaning himself. It also showed the cleaning staff in the video applauding the act of the Dutch PM.

“Watch: Dutch PM Rutte applauded after clearing up own coffee spill, ” read the video’s title.

We also found a video report by Wion News dated June 6, 2018, which shows the same visuals of the Dutch PM cleaning the floor. It said Rutte has set an example for leaders across the world after he cleaned the floor of the Dutch parliament after accidentally spilling coffee.

Rutte, in an interview with the Netherlands-based NPORadio1, said that he believes that he did nothing special by cleaning the floor.

“I thought I would go down in history with my views on climate policy and taxes, but I may now end up as a celebrity for cleaning up my own coffee," Rutte said to the Radio channel in the interview.

Hence, we conclude that the claim that the Dutch PM mopped the floor after spilling tea during the G20 summit in Delhi is false.